The Truth Within the Truth
by Anime Disney
Summary: One afternoon as they're cleaning out the attic, the children of Edward and Alphonse Elric find a package of strange disks. The letter attached to the package, written by someone named Truth, calls them DVDs and tells the children that they contain detailed accounts of their fathers' pasts. Is it real or some kind of joke? Well, they'll have to watch and see...(I DON'T OWN FMA)
1. Disclaimer

**FEEL FREE TO SKIP**

Hello all! Thank you for clicking on my story! I just wanted to leave a quick disclaimer at the beginning for legal and copyright reasons.

I actually had this story posted on this website before, however it was taken down for copyright reasons. **I have made adjustments as to not infringe upon the copyright rules of Fanfiction and, you know, in general.** While the characters are watching the show, the in-show-character's dialogue will show, in addition to any onscreen actions that they react to. Besides that, I will try to leave as little detail as possible, so I'm not basically writing down the entire script of Brotherhood. **Basically, less show, more my original stuff.**

 **If you wish to read a more detailed version of this story, you can find it on Quotev.** Though I warn you, the format is nowhere near as good as on this website. Just look up my username and you should be able to find it.

 **The** ** _Fullmetal Alchemist_** **manga was written by the wonderful human being known as Hiromu Arakawa, and is the property of Square Enix and Viz Media. The anime adaptation** ** _Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood_** **is owned by Studio Bones. The dub was done by Funimation Entertainment (though, their copyright on it ran out a while ago, so I don't know the status on that). Physical copies of the manga can be purchased at just about any Barnes and Noble or large bookseller.** ** _FMA:Brotherhood_** **and the original 2003 adaptation of** ** _Fullmetal Alchemist_** **can currently be found on Netflix both subbed and dubbed, and** ** _Brotherhood_** **can also be found subbed and dubbed on Hulu and Crunchyroll. Please support these websites and shows by streaming legally!**

 **I. DO. NOT. OWN.** ** _FULLMETAL. ALCHEMIST_** **. NOR. DID. I. WRITE. IT.** I am nowhere near talented to write such a beautiful piece of art. I merely feel inspired by Arakawa's work and wish to put my own, noncannonical spin on the story for my own enjoyment and that of others. **I do not seek to make any commercial profit off of this fictional work.**

Now that all that legality is done, I hope you enjoy this story!


	2. The Beginning of it All

"Jeez, this sucks," Aaron complained as he lifted one of the many heavy boxes and set it on top of the stack he'd been making. "The first time I've been back home in months and Mom and Dad put me to work."

His sister, Trisha, couldn't help but chuckle. "What did you expect? They probably think you got lazy while you were at school."

"Easy for them to say when neither one of them went to college..."

"Like they really needed to. From the way Uncle Al talked, the two of them have been prodigies ever since they could walk, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. It still doesn't change the fact that they're making me work on my holiday."

"You know, for being the older sibling, you're much more of a baby than I am."

Before the eldest Elric child could retort, their cousin, Nina, poked her head up from the whole in the floor that led to the house below. The first thing that Aaron always noticed about his younger cousin was her jet-black hair, an trait she'd gained from her mother, Mei, who was Xingese. Besides that, though, she looked pure Amestrian, with a Caucasian complexion, round face, and the signature Elric golden eyes. Despite only being fifteen, two years younger than Trisha and four years younger than Aaron, she both looked and acted very mature for her age. Much like her father and mother, she was a very kind soul, always caring about others and only getting upset when the situation was dire. Aaron definitely couldn't argue with the fact that she was much more mellow than he or his sister, who's parents were both rather emotional at all times.

"Aunt Winry told me you were up here," Nina explained with a small smile. "Mind if I help?"

"Be my guest," Aaron told her, "but even with the three of us, this is going to take us weeks."

So the cousins got back to work, rearranging all sorts of boxes and keepsakes from their childhood. After an hour or so, they were finally getting to the remnants of the clutter. Aaron was sorting through some things in the back corner, when he came across a small wooden box with a message carved on it: _**To Aaron, Trisha, and Nina. May you learn the truth.**_

With a raised eyebrow, he called out to the girls, who came over and examined the container curiously.

"Maybe it's something Mom and Dad left for us," Trisha suggested, a little knowing smirk on her face. "They probably set up this chore so we could find this surprise. I knew they couldn't possibly be that cruel."

"Maybe..." Aaron said, "or maybe it's something that they mean to give us later when we're older."

"I think you're right," Nina agreed.

"Oh, come on, you guys!" Trisha rolled her eyes, snatching the mystery box from her brother's hands. "When we're older? Aaron's in college, and Nina, you and I are almost done with secondary school! How much older can we get?"

Her relatives gave her no answer, but they still looked hesitant.

"Whatever," the older Elric girl said, fiddling with the lid. "You guys do what you want, but I'm gonna see what goodies are in here."

Before Aaron or Nina could do anything, Trisha, with a sly grin on her face, lifted the lid and peeked inside. Her smile quickly turned to confusion, however, upon discovering the contents. Inside the tiny box were two small plastic containers with red covering and silver sketchings of transmutation circles on them (a symbol the children were all too familiar with, given their fathers' line of work) as well as a note. Aaron and Nina, who had taken a look upon seeing Trisha's confusion, gained a very similar expression. After exchanging a look with the girls, Aaron took the piece of paper from the box, opened it, and, after clearing his throat, read:

 _ **Dear Children,**_

 _ **No doubt you are wondering the context behind this box and its contents. You probably thought that it was from your parents, yes? A probable assumption, but sadly wrong. So, who was it that sent you this mysterious package. Why, none other than me! Who am I, you ask? Well, I go by many names. Put simply, I...well, perhaps I shouldn't go through that just now. You will discover who I am soon enough. For now, you may know me as Truth.**_

He paused, raising an eyebrow with the girls, and continued.

 ** _I am no stranger to the Elric family. Believe it or not, I was actually a frequent acquaintance of Edward and Alphonse when they were younger, and also your grandfather in fewer instances. Of course, that was back when Edward was still off gallivanting as a State Alchemist. They were rather crazy times back then and...oh, yes, that's right. If I recall, your fathers haven't exactly told you much about that time, have they?_**

Aaron startled a bit, surprised the author of the note knew this information, but, at the same time, his heart dropped a little bit. Trisha and Nina were no different. What Truth had said was completely true. Edward and Alphonse had told their children only a select few things about their pasts. The children did know about their fathers' attempt to bring their mother back to life and how it had horribly failed. They knew about Edward's missing limbs and Alphonse's detached soul, which Edward had hurriedly attached to a suit of armor. They knew about Edward becoming a State Alchemist, becoming a rather renowned one at that, in order to find ways to him and his brother back to normal. Obviously, they had succeeded, but beyond those facts, the children were clueless to their fathers' lives as teenagers. They knew nothing about the trials they faced, the things they saw, or even how they got their bodies back in the first place...

Each one of them had been told when they turned thirteen, and, obviously, they all wanted more information than Edward or Alphonse was willing to give. Nina just immediately accepted the fact that she wasn't going to get anything else, but Aaron and Trisha grew rather furious at times. They almost felt that by not telling them anything, their father simply didn't trust them to handle the information. Aaron mostly kept his irritation to himself, not wanting to upset his father whom he looked highly upon, but there was one time when Trisha actually threw a tantrum about it when her and her father were alone. Edward had looked rather surprised at first, but his face soon grew soft as he smiled at his daughter.

 _"Unless you want to hear about all the stupid civil disputes I had to take care of," he told her, "there's not really much to say about it."_

 _I don't get it,_ Trisha had thought furiously. _If I talk like that about anything else, he scolds me, but as soon as I mention his service, he looks at me like I'm a four-year-old again._

It wasn't until one night that she finally understood. She had woken up in the middle of the night during a storm and figured that while she was up, she might as well get some water. As she walked down the hall, she had found the door to her parents' room standing ajar. Not meaning to eavesdrop, she caught a glimpse of her father sitting at the edge of the bed, his hands holding his face as he shook. His wife was holding him from behind, speaking soothingly, "It's alright, Ed. It's over. It's over..."

Her father wasn't telling her stuff because he thought she couldn't handle it. He simply couldn't recount the memories without having horrible flashbacks.  
Trisha had never felt so stupid. Of course, witnessing his mother's death at 5, loosing his limbs in a failed transmutation at 11, becoming a State Alchemist - a soldier - at 12...he had probably seen such terrible things. She told Aaron and Nina about it, and, after that, none of them spoke of it again, unless it was brought up by their parents.

 ** _That is a problem quickly fixed!_** Aaron continued reading. **_The contents of this box actually hold all the answers you seek about your fathers' pasts._**

All three of the teens let out gasps and exchanged even more confused and shocked looks.

"There's no way," Trisha muttered.

 ** _You will be able to see all of their adventures from when Edward was a State Alchemist. You will be able to witness a story unfold much like a moving picture you can see at the cinema - sight, sound, music, etc. The narrative as a whole will be told in episodic format. Each of these plastic containers contain multiple small metal disks, which I like to call DVDs, and each contains a certain number of 25-minute episodes. That way you can easily take a snack or potty break in the midst of your parents being in peril._**

 _Peril?_ Nina thought worriedly to herself, though she should've guessed as much with her father having accompanied his soldier brother.

 ** _Do not worry about a means to watch these episodes. I will have it all taken care of. Also, it would be best to wait until your parents leave for that scientific conference in Central..._**

"How did he...!?" Aaron stared wide-eyes at the note.

"Just keep reading!" Trisha yelled, wanting to know what else this "Truth" guy had to say, though she was wondering about the extent of his knowledge as well.

 _ **No doubt, they'd probably be against you watching it. Oh, and one more thing, be prepared for one or two guests to arrive to view the story with you. I know you all will get along just fine.**_

 _ **That is all I have for you. Aaron, Trisha, Nina...may you discover the truth.**_

 _ **Deepest regards, Truth.**_

After reading the last word, the whole attic filled with an eerie silence. Once more, the teens looked at each other, not entirely sure if what had just happened was real.

Finally, Aaron spoke, shaking his head. "What. The Actual. Hell?"

"You said it, brother mine," Trisha agreed, rubbing her temples with her eyes closed.

"So...what should we do?" Nina asked, unsure of the situation.

After another small silence, Trisha huffed. "It's obviously just a prank. There's no way someone we don't even know knows so much about us, not to mention the whole "seeing-into-the-past" thing..."

"And who do you propose set this up?" Her older brother asked her condescendingly.

His sister narrowed her eyes. "I don't know. Dad, maybe."

"You _know_ Dad wouldn't joke about something like this."

"Well..."

"Will you guys just stop?" Nina interrupted, sounding slightly stern. Her relatives immediately shut their mouths, not liking to upset her.

"How about this?" the youngest Elric child suggested. "We'll do as the note says. We can wait until our parents leave and watch the first episode, and if it's obviously a fake, we can just stop watching. Does that sound simple enough?"

Her cousins reluctantly nodded their heads, and Aaron looked down at the box once more. "I don't know why, but I have a feeling that this isn't fake. Somehow, this is real."

Trisha looked out the small window of the attic to the fields and tiny farmhouses of Risembool. "We'll have to wait and see."

* * *

"I hate to just leave you like this when you just got back," Edward said to his son, guiltily rubbing the back of his neck.

Aaron smiled reassuringly. "I told you, Dad, don't worry about it. You and Uncle Al are being honored at this convention, right? Sure, I came home a little early, but that shouldn't stop you."

"Yeah, but still..."

Trisha suddenly jumped her father from behind, kissing his cheek. Chuckling, she told him, "It's okay, Dad, really. We'll be fine."

The man, though surprised at first, smiled warmly at his daughter. "I know, but that doesn't mean I like to leave you."

"In some ways, it's even harder than when you were little." Winry appeared on the stairs, carrying her case.

Her children smiled up at her as Edward went to meet her. "Here, Win, let me take that."

She quickly yanked it away from his reach. "Geez, Ed. I'm not that old. I can carry my own bag."

Edward feigned being hurt, making a pouty face. "Well, excuse me for trying to be a good, chivalrous husband."

Winry actually let out a laugh. "Since when are you _ever_ chivalrous?"

"Hey! I'm plenty chivalrous. I'm the biggest gentleman...!"

He was cut off by a small kiss from his wife. Smiling lovingly at him, she said. "Trust me. If I wanted a gentleman for a husband, I would've married Al."

"What about me?" Said man came down the stairs with a raised eyebrow.

Before Winry could get a word out, Edward smirked up at his brother, saying, "She says she's glad she married such a strong, masculine man like me instead of a cat-loving softy like you."

"Sure, Ed, she _totally_ said that," Alphonse rolled his eyes at his brother's obvious lie. Still, the younger Elric brother smirked a bit as well. "Now, remind me, who has won every single one of our sparring matches since we were kids?"

"Hey! I won that one on the hospital roof, remember? Beat you fair and square!"

"You did not! You threw a sheet in my face!"

"So?"

"So!? You cheated! Therefore, it doesn't count!"

Nina came in from the kicthen, as she'd been cleaning up after breakfast. She laughed at her father and uncle's antics, but she asked curiously, "What were you two doing sparring on a hospital roof?"

The demeanor of the two brothers obviously damped a bit at the question.

"I had gotten mad over something stupid," Alphonse told his daughter, giving her a somewhat sad smile. "Your uncle was just trying to beat some sense into me, that's all."

" _You_ got mad, Uncle?" Trisha asked, half-jokingly and half-serious. She couldn't recall anytime in her life when she'd seen Alphonse in anyway but his usual, gentle self. "I didn't think that was physically possible for you."

He laughed at his niece's words. "Well, your mom, dad, and aunt all have hot tempers. They get angry so quickly that I don't have the chance to."

"I don't think that's it." Mei finally made her appearance at the stairs. She came down and, wrapping her arms around her husband and kissing his cheek, said, "You have too kind of a soul to get mad very easily."

"Your wife's right, brother mine," Edward agreed. Smiling sadly, he said, "Whenever you were upset, it was always over something that warranted it. The same goes for that fight too."

"I guess..." Alphonse's smile disappeared momentarily. "Back then, I got upset more times than I would like to admit."

 _Back then._ Those words ran through Aaron, Trisha, and Nina's brains at the same time, and the three of them internally gasped. Edward and Alphonse tried to talk as little about their time in the military as possible, at least, all the negative parts. Every once in a while, they told funny and happy stories. Trisha and Aaron always enjoyed the brothers telling the story of when their mother had helped deliver a baby in Rush Valley during a storm, and Nina always laughed when her Uncle Edward told her about how her father always picked up stray animals and hid them in his armor. They loved to tell about the happy moments, but those seemed to be far and few between. The children were pretty much forbidden to hear about anything else.

"You had a perfectly good reason to," Winry told her brother-in-law. "Even still, you remained optimistic and happy a lot of the time. That definitely helped lighten the load off all of us."

"Yeah," Edward said. He then remembered that the teenagers were present and decided to change the subject. Clearing his throat, he said, "We should probably get going. We don't wanna miss the train. Gods knows Mustang will never let me live it down if we're late."

So, the parents and children exchanged hugs, kisses, and "I love you's," and the adults were on their way to the train station, unaware of what their children were preparing to do with them gone.

Once their parents were out of sight, the three Elric children looked at each other warily.

"Well," Aaron finally spoke, "should we get started?"

Nina shook her head. "Remember what that Truth guy said? We're supposed to be having other people come and watch with us."

"Well, yeah, but who could...?"

"We won't know, unless we wait," Trisha interrupted them. "Truth said he had it all arranged, so I guess we just wait until our special guests show up. Then...we can start."

Aaron let out an exasperated sigh. "Why is this happening to us?"

* * *

 **There's the introduction to my new story! I'll be introducing the guests in the next chapter, but I won't start them watching just yet.**

 **Also, be prepared for long breaks in between updates. I am currently a Theatre major in college, and that stuff is time consuming, but I promise that I will try to work on this as much as humanly possible.  
**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this! If you haven't please follow and/or favorite this story and/or me, and please leave a review to tell me what you think! Also, be sure to check out my other FMA one-shot fic, "Journey Anew!"**

 **Once again, thank you so much!**


	3. The Guests

**Who will be watching the show with the Elric children? You gotta read and see, silly!**

 **Also: Pop Quiz! Trisha and Nina's names obviously make sense, but I'll give bonus points to whoever can figure out who Aaron is named after. Just a little something to leave you with.**

 **On with the story!**

* * *

The children didn't have to wait long. Within ten minutes, a knock rapped from the door, causing the three of them to jump. Hesitantly and instinctively standing in front of the girls, Aaron turned the knob and opened the door, revealing two familiar figures.

Trisha grinned widely. "Elicia!"

Elicia Hughes smiled brightly at her friend. Despite being nearly ten years older than Aaron, she had always been good friends with the Elric cousins, never looking down on them and always treating them as her equals. When all of them were younger, Elicia and her mother Gracia would come by Risembool every so often, but not as much as the Elrics stopped by their apartment in Central. Edward had laughed, telling his children he didn't know how Gracia could keep inviting them over with the chaos they always brought with them. Anyway, once Elicia had started attending university, it had become harder for all of them to get together, and it became even worse when she graduated from medical school and became a doctor. Still, her and the Elrics, especially Trisha, always sent each other letters.

Aaron looked at the man standing next to her, smirking. "Long time, no see, Josh."

Joshua Mustang grinned back at his childhood friend. He was only two years older than Aaron, but he seemed a lot older given his extreme height and the imposing nature he carried as a soldier. The Mustang-Hawkeye family also had tight relations with the Elrics. Edward and Roy, Josh's father and current president of Amestris (the position of Fuhrer had not been in use for years), always feigned annoyance with each other, but they were even more annoyed by the fact that their sons turned out to be the best of friends. Eventually, they had learned to accept it, and the men treated the other's son as if he were his own, which was weird for them at first, seeing as each boy was almost a clone of their father. Aaron's mother said Roy treated him just like he treated Edward when he was his subordinate.

"You're telling me," Josh answered. "Now, are you gonna let us in, or are we just gonna stand in the doorway all day?"

Aaron quickly stepped aside and let them in. The girls exchanged tight hugs, while the boys gave claps on the back. Elicia also gave Aaron a hug, which he gently returned, blushing a bit. Trisha made kissy faces at him over Elicia's shoulder, to which he narrowed his eyes, making her shut up with a slight smirk on her face.

"What are you guys doing here?" Nina asked, smiling at the sight of her two friends.

Elicia grinned, brushing her chestnut hair away from her face. "Trisha didn't tell you? She invited me over for the week!"

Trisha suddenly looked startled. "I...what?"

The older girl chuckled, rolling her eyes. It was rather common for Trisha to pull stupid jokes. "Come on, Trish, you seriously couldn't have forgotten. Remember, I'd told you in one of my letters that I had a week or so off this month, so you invited me over this weekend since your parents were going to be gone." Her smile faltered a bit. "You _did_ get their permission, right?"

"Uh..." Edward's daughter exchanged a look with her brother and cousin, who were just as confused as she was. "Sorry, Elicia, but I never sent you a letter."

Now Elicia's smile had disappeared, being replaced with confusion. "What are you talking about? It had your handwriting and signature on it. Who else could it have been?"

The three Elrics exchanged wide-eyed glances. _Truth._

Aaron hesitantly looked at Josh. "What about you? What are you doing here?"

The other boy looked just as confused as the others, but he shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I can assure you I didn't get any freaky letter. I knew that you were going to be home for a couple of weeks and that your parents would be back in Central at the conference. I figured that I should drop by since we haven't been able to see each other much since you went to school. Plus, I thought you'd want some more masculine company." He gave a small smile to Trisha and Nina. "No offense."

"That's alright!" Nina waved her hand.

"Whatever." Trisha rolled her eyes.

"Still, what's this all about?" Josh asked his friend with furrowed eyebrows. He nodded towards Elicia. "How'd she get a letter from Trisha if she never sent one in the first place?"

"Who'd try to pretend to be you?" Elicia added, looking concerned.

Nina pulled out Truth's note from her pocket and handed it to the two of them. After many eye widenings and confused glances, they looked back up at the Elrics.

"You're joking, right?" Josh asked, not sounding so sure.

"I wish."

"So, that Truth guy was the one who...summoned us here," Elicia concluded, looking perplexed, "but why me and Josh? And are there going to be any other 'guests' besides us?"

Trisha shook her head. "The two of you showed up at the same time. I figure that if there were any others, they would've shown up by now."

"That's a good point," Josh agreed, running a hand through his hair. "As for why the two of us were summoned..." He let his hand drop. "Dad was Edward's superior officer while he served as a state alchemist, so I guess these DVDs show some of his past as well."

"If that's why, then..." Elicia felt a small pain in her heart. An old family picture appeared in her mind - she had been three years old when it was taken, and she sat on the laps of her mother and a sturdy man grinning from ear to ear. Her father - Maes. He had been killed in the line of duty not long after the picture was taken, though she had never really been given any specifics, and since she was so young at the time, she had no real memories of him. For the longest time, she had tried to ask her mother about his death, but Gracia would always get a sad look in her eye, smiling at her and saying, "There's no need to talk about such a sad thing, dear. All you need to know is that he loved you very much and that he died doing what was right." She tried asking anyone she could think of. Long before Aaron was born, she had broken down in front of Edward and Alphonse over the subject, to which the two men almost broke down themselves, engulfing her in a hug. "We're so sorry," was all they said, and they never spoke about it again. She had asked Uncle Roy, Aunt Riza, Aunt Sheska, everybody, but no one would give her a straight answer. As she got older, though, looking at their old families pictures, at her father's proud smiling face as he held her younger self, she came to the conclusion that none of it mattered. She had these images and the wonderful stories shared with her by friends and family to remember her father by - she would remember him by the life he lived, not the horrible final moments in which that life ended.

And now, she wouldn't have just pictures and stories...

The other four looked at her with a mix of sadness and empathy. They had heard plenty of stories about Maes Hughes from their parents, about how what a wonderful husband, father, and friend he was. In all honestly, they were interested to see what this legend of man was like.

Nina placed her hand on Elicia's shoulder, giving her a gentle smile. "Let's see what your dad was really like."

Elicia blinked tears from her eyes, managing a smile and nod. "Yeah."

After a moment of silence, Trisha sighed in exasperation. "Well, Truth said he would give us a way to watch these things, but I haven't seen any changes. While we wait, I guess I can go make some tea while you guys hang in the family room."

They all nodded in agreement. Trisha went into the kitchen, but just as she was preparing the kettle, her brother's voice came from the family room. "Uh...Trisha? You might wanna come see this."

With a raised eyebrow, she did as he asked. Her eyes widened quite a bit. Sitting on a small table pushed against the wall was large, black, shiny box, which reminded Trisha of a smaller screen she'd seen at the movie theater. Underneath it was smaller box with a few buttons and a little slit like a mail box.

"Hey, check it out." Josh picked up a piece of paper, which turned out to be another letter from the Truth guy. He explained that the larger box was a TV and that the smaller box was a DVD player. It took about ten minutes between Truth's some-what confusing instructions and some back-seat comments from the girls (which led to a little bit of arguing) for Aaron and Josh to finally figure out how everything worked.

Aaron stared at the DVD player for a second, then sighed. Holding his hand out to his sister, he said, "Give me the first DVD."

"Oh, right." She did as he asked, both of their hands somewhat shaking in both anticipation and dread. What did this disk hold in store for them? What did their father go through in order for this Truth guy to basically break the laws of time to show them? Needless to say, their emotions were mixed. The other three had similar feelings swirling in their heads.

Finally, all five of them sat down on the couch as the TV screen began to light up.

Trisha took a deep breath. "Let's do this."

* * *

 **There you are! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next time, they'll finally get to watching the past, or as we know it, "Episode 1: Fullmetal Alchemist!"**

 **Thank you so much for reading! If you haven't already, please follow and/or favorite this story and/or me and check out my other FMA fic, "Journey Anew!"**

 **Have an awesome day!**


	4. E1: Fullmetal Alchemist (Part 1)

**Here we go! We finally have them watching the show! Just a disclaimer: from this point on, besides the intros and outros, everything in the bold IS NOT MINE, be it dialogue, actions, or whatever.**

 **Like I said earlier, I know this formatting is a little confusing. If you want a MUCH more detailed version of this story, you can check it out on Quotev. Or, if anything, you can watch along with the show on Netflix.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

 ** _"_ The Freezing Alchemist? Really? He's here?"**

All of the children, especially Joshua, who had been sitting quietly, shaking with apprehension, suddenly stiffened at the sound of the familiar, yet younger, voice. Joshua felt his heart beat even harder in his chest, though he wasn't sure if it was out of fear or excitement. Probably both. Still, a small smirk appeared on his lips.

 _And so it begins,_ he thought.

 **"We have information that he managed to slip into Central a few days ago.** **That's why I've summoned you here, Colonel.** **I need you and your men to smoke him out and bring him in."**

 **"Consider it done, sir."**

Joshua couldn't help but swell a little with pride at the sight of his esteemed father in his line of work. Despite being a soldier himself, he rarely ever got to work along the side of either of his parents. His thoughts were broken, however, when he realized the other four audience members were staring at him with curious looks on their faces.

"What are you staring at?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, feeling somewhat freaked out.

"You really _do_ look like Uncle Roy," Elicia commented, a small smile on her face.

"And here I thought Dad was just making it up," Aaron continued, looking intrigued as well.

Joshua felt a small blush rise to his face and looked down, rubbing his neck. "Yeah, well..."

He always felt proud whenever someone compared him with his parents, but, at the same time, he tried not to let their giant shadows control or intimidate him. Many people thought that he'd become a soldier because it had almost become like the family business, but that was only the partial truth. He _did_ become a soldier because he wanted to become a great man like his father, but people always mistook it for him trying to _be_ his father. The main reason he'd become a soldier was the reason that many other people did: to help people. Well, it was also to pay for college, but that was beside the point. He just wanted to make a difference in the world - to make it safe for his children like his parents and the Elrics and Elicia's dad had done for him.

Suddenly, a thought struck him. "Oh, dammit! We're missing it!"

The five of them quickly looked back at the TV, only to find the image had frozen. However, as soon as they turned back, it started up again.

"Do you think...?" Nina stopped talking when she saw that the image froze once more when she began to speak.

"It must stop whenever we get distracted or something, so we don't miss anything," Aaron suggested, looking both baffled and incredibly interested at the same time.

Trisha sighed in exasperation. "This Truth guy sure thinks of everything..."

The episode started up again.

 **"I'm glad your with us for a while in Central, Mustang. It's good to know I have people here I can count on."  
**

 **"Sir."**

 **"Ah, one last thing. Our rising young star is here as well. I'm placing him at your disposal."**

The Elrics perked up, having a knowing feeling as to who this star was.

 **"Forgive me, Fuhrer Bradley, but just to be clear, you are referring to...?"**

 **"I am.** **The Fullmetal Alchemist - Edward Elric."**

 **"God dammit...The colonel's never gonna let us outta here, is he?"**

"Holy shit..." Aaron couldn't help but mutter, staring at the screen in amazement. He'd seen a few pictures of his father from when he was younger, but this...

"Aaron!" Despite all that was happening, Nina scolded him for his cursing.

"That's Dad..." Trisha said in awe, ignoring her brother and cousin. A small smile spread on her lips. "He's so little..."

"I don't know if 'little' is the right word," Aaron contradicted, a gentle smile on his face as well. "It's definitely jarring though." He chuckled a bit. "You hear his voice?"

"A little bit high," Elicia agreed, giggling. "He looks a lot like you did a couple years ago, Aaron."

"Yeah," Joshua added, lightly punching his friend in the arm. "Guess I'm not the only one who looks like their old man."

Aaron nodded somewhat, turning back to the screen, which continued. Only, what they saw next was even more surprising.

 **"We already bought our tickets for Liore, too. Does this mean we're not going?"**

"Oh, Daddy..." Nina murmured, covering her mouth with her hand as her eyes filled with tears. With that one shot and line, she felt like she'd been slapped across the face. The others looked at the screen in a tragic kind of shock, especially Aaron and Trisha, though no one said anything.

 **"I don't know, Al. For now, let's just get this over with, okay?"**

 **"Mm. Lead the way, Brother."**

The Elric children managed small smiles at the Alphonse's common name for Edward, but they were short lived. It wasn't like this was really the first time they'd been exposed to Al's life in the armor. In fact, they'd been allowed to see a couple pictures from that time, the first time being after all three of them had found out about everything.

* * *

 _"Huh?" The three cousins exami_ _ned the photo in the album meticulously. It was black and white and showed a much younger version of Edward in some kind of trench coat standing alongside an imposing, blank-faced suit of armor. Trisha looked back up at her father, claiming, "There's no way that's Uncle Al!"_

 _"It is. I can vouch for him," her uncle assured her, chuckling somewhat._

 _"And get this!" Edward told them, grinning evilly. "That armor spoke with the voice of a little boy! The tiniest voice you ever heard in your life!"_

 _Alphonse looked somewhat offended. "I don't know if I'd go that far."_

 _"Well, people certainly never saw it coming." Edward shot back. His eyes shone with pride. "Even still, whenever your uncle wanted to be heard, he made himself be heard! It was impossible to ignore him when he talked."_

 _"It must have been rather scary, huh?" Nina asked sheepishly, looking at her father with concern._

 _Alphonse's smile dropped, but only for a second. Grinning at his daughter, he assured her, "It was at first, but I eventually got used to it, even though it wasn't the most comfortable situation. I_ will _admit that."_

* * *

"God, I almost feel shell shocked," Trisha managed, a humorless smile on her face, "and we're not even a minute in yet."

"He...he really does sound little," Nina said, sniffling and attempting to wipe away her tears. She thought about when she was little, about whenever she had a nightmare and her father would talk to her in that gentle, soothing, deep voice of his. She had trouble even imagining _that_ voice coming out of the armor, but _this..._

Elicia put a hand on her shoulder in comfort. Suddenly, Joshua's voice broke their thoughts, "Hey, check this out. This was on the coffee table."

They turned to him to see yet another note in his hands. He read:

* * *

 _Children,_

 _Usually, there will be a sort of introduction song at the beginning of each episode, with some visuals that might not exactly happen, but hint at what is to come. There will also be an ending song for each. However, I want you to get a taste of what you're in for before you get to see any of that. So, for this episode only, the intro song will play at the end. Hope you're enjoying it so far!_

 _Yours truly,_

 _Truth_

* * *

Aaron sighed in exasperation, narrowing his eyes. "Sure. Why not?"

Joshua crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it behind him. They all turned their attention back to the TV.

 **"There he goes! That way!"**

 **"You, halt! Halt, or I'll shoot!"**

 ** _McDougal impales some soldiers on ice spikes, whilst freezing one, and boiling another alive._**

Nina quickly covered her eyes, horrified by what she was seeing on screen. Aaron and Trisha found themselves equally disgusted, but they couldn't seem to look away. Joshua and Elicia, being a soldier and doctor respectively, were used to seeing a fair share of gruesomeness, but their stomachs still churned at the sight.

 **"Water freezes, water boils...Either way, you're just as dead."**

"Bastard..." Joshua spat, his teeth grit with anger. Those were the criminals he hated the most - the ones who just killed anyone who got in their way, disregarding the fact that all the people they were hurting were simply doing their job and trying to protect the ones they loved.

 **"That's alchemy."**

 **"What a nasty thing to do..."**

Aaron couldn't help but smirk. "Kick his ass, Dad."

"Aaron!" Nina complained once again, though he wondered why she hadn't scolded Josh.

Trisha had the same feelings as her brother. She had seen her father and uncle spar multiple times, but that was far from the real thing. She was actually really curious to see what Edward was like in real combat, though she still couldn't help but worry. On top of all that, the nonchalantness in his voice troubled her. How much had he seen in order to simply walk by the boiled corpse of a man like it was nothing?

 **"You of all people should know that great deeds require great sacrifice.** **Isn't that the law of equivalent exchange!?"**

 ** _"_ Save your breath! The laws of alchemy don't justify murder!"**

 ** _Edward transmutes the spear he's thrown into a bat._**

All five of the watchers stared in awe, especially Edward's own children. Despite their father being one of the most famous alchemists of all time, Aaron and Trisha had never seen him perform a transmutation, nor had any of the other three. They all found this rather weird, as Edward was pretty much an expert on the subject, and his brother performed both alchemy and alkahestry on a daily basis for his job as one of the local doctors. The Elric cousins had all actually been a bit skeptical that their fathers were telling the truth at first, until Edward had shown them his pocket watch, which Joshua's father had permitted him to keep after his resignation.

After he was shown the pocket watch, Aaron had looked up to his father, asking, "If you were a State Alchemist, Dad, then why don't you do alchemy anymore?"

Edward hadn't looked surprised by the question in the slightest, only showing a little sadness in his eyes. After thinking for a minute, he replied, "I just don't really feel like I need to use it anymore. Back then, I almost relied too much on alchemy, but since then I've realized that, while it really is an amazing thing, it can't solve every problem. I felt like I needed to learn how to live without it. Besides," He had then ruffled Aaron's hair, grinning, "who needs alchemy when I have you to help me out, huh?"

Now, Aaron and everyone else were finally able to see the Fullmetal Alchemist in action. He and Trisha watched the transmutation unfold with such fascination. It was obviously just as skilled as they'd seen Alphonse do it, but it almost seemed like there was more of a rugged, sharp aspect to it, which fit their father perfectly.

 ** _"_ No transmutation circle!"**

 **"Don't be too impressed...Now!"**

 ** _A fight ensues between McDougal and the Elrics. The Freezer grabs Edward's arm and transmutes, throwing the boy back._**

Trisha couldn't help but gasp. Aaron reached over and grabbed her hand, also startled somewhat.

 ** _"_ What!?"**

 ** _McDougal quickly grabs Alphonse, flinging him over his head, causing the boy to yelp in surprise._**

Now it was Nina's turn to gasp.

 **"No, I had you! Any water in there should have boiled!"**

"And you just threw a massive suit of armor over your shoulder. I don't see how you're so shocked," Joshua commented, surprised by the man's burst of strength.

 **"If it's any consolation, you** ** _did_** **rip my coat."**

 ** _The boy holds up his right arm. His coat is shattered, revealing the metal prosthetic underneath._**

"Dad..." The Elric children were used to seeing Edward with his automail leg, but his arm? They'd heard everything about it, from Edward complaining how much hit hurt to have it installed to Winry complaining how much she had to repair it, but, like everything else, it had all seemed like a completely different world. That is until now, when they were actually able to see it.

 **"An automail arm!** **A young, gifted alchemist...one who doesn't use transmutation circles...and who has an automail right arm!** **I know you...** **You are the Fullmetal Alchemist - Edward Elric!"**

"Hell, yeah!" Aaron yelled proudly. All the others smiled as well. Nina thought to scold him again, but decided against it, smiling.

 ** _"_ So...it's not you?"**

 ** _"_ Oh, um...no. I'm his younger brother, Alphonse..."**

 ** _"_ But he's a runt..."**

 ** _"_ Oh, yeah!? Can a runt do this!?"**

 ** _"_ I've heard the stories, but I never imagined this! The Fullmetal Alchemist is just a little kid!?"**

 **"DON'T CALL ME LITTLE!"**

 ** _"_ You know, Brother...I don't think he was really talking about your height just now."**

 ** _"_ Well, even if he wasn't, he still pissed me off!"**

Edward's children and niece, meanwhile, along with Elicia and Joshua, had been laughing through the whole ordeal, surprised on how such a serious situation could be turned on its head so quickly.

"Well," Joshua said, still chuckling quite a bit, "that ruined the entire mood."

"Yeah, but that's probably for the best," Nina added, a sweet smile appearing on her face. She actually felt an overwhelming sense of relief. From the way the first minute or so went, she was afraid that the whole thing was just going to be her father and uncle, both of whom she loved so much, fighting criminals and being rather serious. Now, she felt stupid for ever having worried. Not only was she now completely certain that that was truly Edward and Alphonse Elric on screen, but she could immediately tell that they were the same back then as they were now.

"I don't think he's _that_ short," Trisha commented, feeling sympathy for her father's younger self. Up until recently, when she'd hit a growth spurt, she'd been one of the shortest in her class. She was even shorter than Nina for a span of time.

"Maybe he just looks that way because he's standing next to Al," Elicia offered, chuckling. "He does look rather..."

She stopped herself, though, for Nina's sake. It was going to take a while for any of them to get used to Alphonse's form, but, for some reason, she didn't feel as bothered by it. In fact, she could almost see an image of the armored Elric standing above her and waving goodbye. It was almost like a memory trying to thrust its way forward from the back of her mind. Did she meet Edward and Alphonse while Al was still in the armor? The two men had been in her life for as long as she could remember, so she didn't know for sure. Maybe these DVDs would answer that question...

Aaron, sensing her tension, took over for her. Smirking, he told her, "I don't think so. Mom and Uncle Al always go on about how short Dad was back when they were younger. Apparently, he didn't really start growing until after they got their bodies back. Mom always blames it on the fact that Dad never drank any milk."

Trisha laughed. "And he still doesn't drink it to this day."

 ** _"_ So, you're the one we've been hearing all the stories about lately! The Fullmetal Alchemist! ****You're as good as they say! Thanks for the help!"**

 **"Um...you're welcome, but...I'm really not the one you should be thanking."**

"The guy does half the work and doesn't accept any of the credit," Aaron commented, smiling. "That's Uncle Al, alright."

 ** _"_ There! C'mon! Let's get going, Al! We've got a train to catch!"**

 **"Oh, okay. If you think it's alright to leave..."**

 ** _We see a group of soldiers escorting McDougal, who is now in handcuffs. As they walk down the alleyway, they pass a puddle. McDougal grins._**

Joshua narrowed his eyes, having a feeling of what he was going to do.

 ** _"_ What is that? Steam?"**

 **"Brother, he's gone!"**

 ** _"_ Dammit! Now, he really pissed me off!"**

The watchers couldn't help but mirror his thoughts.

 ** _"_ Looks like you underestimated your opponent, ****Fullmetal."**

Both the Elrics and Joshua felt a little relief to hear Roy call Edward by his code name in the same mocking tone that he still used it to this day. Edward absolutely hated it, him now way passed being a grown adult, but Mustang still insisted on treating him like a child simply so he didn't have to feel like he was getting old.

 **"Who is this guy, anyway?"**

 **"You'd know that if you listened to the briefing like I told you to,** **but, noooo! You had to go charging right after...**

 ** _"_ Yeah, yeah! I get it, alright!? I'm sorry, okay? Whatever..."**

 ** _We finally get to see Mustang sitting as his desk, looking at Edward with an amused smirk as Riza Hawkeye stands passively at his side._**

 **"Next time a superior tells you to pay attention, you might just try it."**

Joshua couldn't help but smile at the familiar sight of his mother standing by his father's side. He was very interested to see what their relationship was like back then. On top of that, he really wanted to see the two in action. In all honestly, excluding a few moderate incidents every now and then, Central had been a fairly quiet city all his life, and even when things did end up getting hairy, his father usually stayed back at headquarters, him being the President and all.

Trisha let out a small laugh. "God, he's just mopping the floor with Dad, huh?"

 **"Fine."**

 ** _"_ Now then, his name is Issac McDougal, or, as he was known as back in the day, "Issac the Freezer." He's a former State Alchemist."**

 **"Former?"**

 ** _"_ That's right. He served in the Ishvalan War. During that time, he gave us no signs that he'd turned traitor, but after, he immediately resigned his commission and went into hiding. He's been working with the Anti-Establishment Movement ever since. Taking him into custody is a matter of top priority. Whether it's dead or alive, that's up to him."**

 ** _"_ No way. I'm not killing anyone for you."**

 **"And that's your choice. Your orders are simply to contain him. That's all."**

Trisha smiled a bit. Ever since they were little, her father had always taught her and Aaron that every life was precious and that, no matter how bad a person was, it wasn't up for another person to decide whether that evil person had to die. At the time, it had seemed like a no-brainer, but she grew to understand Edward's words even more after she'd learned about his past. He lost many people who were dear to him and knew the pain that came along with loss, so he didn't want to be responsible for another person's similar anguish. Not only that, but the circle of life was something that shouldn't be tampered with. If humans weren't allowed to create life, then they most definitely weren't allowed to take it. It made her glad to know that her father held tightly to these beliefs, despite him being so young, and being a soldier at that.

Joshua smiled as well and, adding onto Trisha's thoughts, said, "It's nice to know Dad didn't make Ed do anything he didn't want to."

Elicia nodded, looking somewhat sad. "He was just a kid, after all."

 ** _"_ Off topic...have you turned up any leads for getting your bodies back to normal?"**

All five of the watchers suddenly perked up, both surprised and curious, as this was the first time the boys' situation was being mentioned.

 **"Maybe if you ever gave us time to look!"**

 ** _"_ Roy! How goes? Heard you let them put you in charge of catching the Freezer, huh!? ****One hell of nasty assignment! But hey, could be your chance to earn that promotion to Central!"**

"Elicia?" Nina glanced at her friend worriedly. All five of them had been staring at the screen in shock and awe, not having expected to meet Maes Hughes so early on, but said man's daughter had remained quiet. The other four had at least let out some small gasps or other noises, but Elicia hadn't uttered a sound. The older girl simply stared at the now frozen screen, silent tears streaming down her face, her mouth half agape.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she spoke in a small voice, which cracked with emotion, though her body remained rigid. "My father...That's...that's my father."

Even though he'd only been on screen for seven seconds, all of which he'd spent rambling so far, Elicia knew that her father was exactly how she'd imagined he'd be. All the stories she'd heard, pictures she'd seen, letters she'd read - all of them suddenly flowed into the image of her father she saw before her. She had to admit that his voice was a bit higher than she had guessed, and her mother had greatly underestimated his animated nature, but still...

To her friends' surprise, the girl actually started to giggle, her sobs finally starting to escape her. Her tears now flowed like a river down her cheeks, causing her already glowing eyes to shimmer even more. Aaron quickly grabbed some tissues from the coffee table, passing them to her, which she gladly took. After a few minutes had passed, Elicia finally calmed herself down, smiling much brighter than any of them had expected.

"Let's see what my father was like."

Nina, sensing her words being repeated back to her, grinned supportingly. "Yeah!"

The others smiled as well.

 ** _"_ Oh, see!? Looks like my timing was perfect! You two are the Elric brothers, right!? ****Wow! It's an honor to finally meet the youngest State Alchemist ever! You're a real legend around here! I'm Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes! A pleasure!**

 ** _"_ Ah...you want Edward. I'm actually his younger brother, Alphonse."**

 ** _"_ What!? You're the Fullmetal Alchemist!? Sorry! I had no idea you'd be so...!"**

 _ **"Go ahead, say short. I dare you."**_

The group couldn't help but laugh again.

"Guess this really was a thing," Aaron said, smirking at the younger version of his father on the TV.

 **"Hughes..."**

 **"Yeah?"**

 **"What are you doing here? Go home."**

"That's a bit harsh, Dad..." Joshua muttered, chuckling.

 **"Actually, I'm here on official business.** **You, Elrics. I understand that you two don't have a place to stay, which means you'll have to come with me.** **My wife, Gracia, and my daughter, Elicia! We'd love to have you!"**

Elicia's heart thumped a bit. Just to hear her father say her name made her so happy.

 ** _Suddenly, the scene shifts to outside the Hughes' apartment. There's a close up of almost 3-year-old Elicia Hughes smiling sweetly, almost directly into the camera._**

"Awwww!" The two Elric girls squealed simultaneously. "Elicia, you're so cute!"

The two boys couldn't help but agree, but they kept this opinion to themselves. Still, Joshua couldn't help teasing, "I'm sure you were a heart breaker in preschool."

Elicia felt her cheeks redden a bit, and she quickly turned back to the TV. "Oh, shut up!"

 ** _"_ Hi, Princess!"**

 **"Ow! Daddy, your beard is itchy!"**

 ** _"_ Like this? Itchy, itchy!"**

Elicia once again began to feel her chest clench up, but she smiled lovingly at the scene. Finally, she was able to see what her family looked like when it was whole.

 **"Look! We have guests! These are the Elric brothers."**

 ** _"_ Big brother! ****Little brother!"**

Aaron, who had been taking a sip of water, promptly choked, coughing and laughing all at the same time. He threw his head back, almost in tears. "Even _you_ did it!"

Elicia smiled sheepishly and, even though she knew he couldn't hear her, said, "Sorry, Ed..."

 ** _"_ Nice to meet you...My name is Edward Elric. This is my younger brother...Alphonse Elric. Got that? ****_Younger brother."_**

 **"But younger means little! You're little!"**

 ** _"_ Let it go, Ed. These people are really nice to let us stay here."**

 **"Hope you boys are hungry! Gracia's cooking is delicious!"**

"It sure is!" Trisha agreed through everyone having yet another fit of laughter. Through their many visits to the Hughes household, the Elric children had certainly had their fill of Gracia's cooking.

 ** _"_ Okay! Eat up!"**

 ** _"_ Thanks! (Digs in) Wow! You weren't kidding! This is great!"**

 **"Don't be shy. Eat all you want."**

 **"Okay!"**

 **"Alphonse, how're you gonna eat wearing that armor? Take it off! Relax!"**

 ** _"_ Well, you see..."**

 **"He's not allowed to! He has to wear that all the time! It's, uh...it's part of his alchemy training! You know how it is! Haha! I'll eat enough for both of us!"**

 ** _"_ Training! Choo-choo!"**

The group managed to chuckle a bit at the younger version of Elicia, but the mood was suddenly very somber.

"It must have been so hard for them..." Aaron thought aloud, looking down at the ground, "having to come up with excuses like that constantly, having to hide what they did..."

"Poor Dad..." Nina murmured, her eyes becoming a bit wet. "It must have been so lonely and awkward for him to be asked about that."

"I wonder how long it took for them to get used to it..." Joshua wondered. No one knew what else to say after that.

 ** _"_ Hands down. That's gotta be the funniest joke I've heard in a long time. The Freezing Alchemist wants me to come play his side kick. Well, as fun as that sounds...** **The Crimson Alchemist works alone. I always have."**

 _The Crimson Alchemist?_ The group had immediately perked up again at the reappearance of McDougal, but that specific title struck a cord with Joshua. Where had he heard that before? It was someone his parents knew. He was sure of it.

 **"Kimblee, if we work together, we can bring down Bradley and this god forsaken military. You saw the horrors that took place in Ishval. You were there, dammit! You know the things Bradley ordered us to do, the kind of man he really is! That's why you killed those officers, isn't it? To send him a message?"**

Joshua suddenly regained his thoughts, though he didn't like what came back. Furrowing his brow, he muttered, "Now, I remember..."

"Josh?' Aaron looked at him questioningly.

The Mustang boy shook his head. "My dad didn't tell me much about him, but this Kimblee guy was bad news. Apparently, during the Ishvalan Extermination, the psycho actually enjoyed murdering all those innocent people. On top of all that, he killed some of his fellow soldiers in cold blood. I'm guessing that's why he's locked up."

"God..." Trisha whispered, horrified.

"I guess it's a good thing, then, that he's not agreeing to help," Nina offered up, looking concerned. "That would be...that _would have_ meant bad news for our parents."

The others looked at her sympathetically. Even though they weren't even through the first episode, they were already getting past and present tenses mixed up.

 **"I think you've got me all wrong! My motives aren't so sophisticated as revenge or honor or any of that."**

 _It's a good thing he's restrained like that,_ Joshua thought, troubled, _or else he could blow the whole prison to smithereens and escape._

 **"The reason I killed all those men...was because I could. It's that simple."**

"Monster..." Trisha couldn't help but spit out, furrowing her brow as well. The country sure used to be filled with a bunch of crazy psychos.

 **"That's too bad, Kimblee. That truly is too bad."**

 ** _"_ Keep up the good work."**

 ** _McDougal pats a frozen soldier on the shoulder, causing the statue to fall down. The ice breaks upon impacting the floor._**

The children flinched at the sound of the ice breaking, all of them feeling agony for the innocent man. Nina let out a small whimper.

 ** _"_ Maes, dear, what's wrong? Can't sleep?"**

 **"Guess not..."**

 ** _"_ I know what's in that head of yours. You're worrying about those boys, aren't you?"**

"Can't say that I blame him," Aaron said sadly. He'd only seen his father and uncle fight with an anarchic alchemist, but even that was almost too much to think about.

 ** _"_ You do know what they call State Alchemists, right? The Dogs of the Military - not exactly a popular bunch. I try to imagine what that must be like, enduring that at his age..."**

All the Elrics clenched their fists. While they didn't know much about their fathers' involvement in the military, they had learned a bit about it and the State Alchemists in their history classes, including the infamous nickname of the elite soldiers. Needless to say, they had despised the name instantly. Edward was such a kind and loving man, though he did keep up a tough facade sometimes, and to think that he was considered by many to be only a dirty mutt following orders was almost too much to bear.

Nina bit her lip. "And he's doing it all for his brother..."

They were all taken out of their thoughts when the image on screen changed.

 ** _"_ Brother...you awake? ****Miss Gracia's quiche...it looked a lot like Mom's, huh?"**

 **"Yeah - almost as good, too."**

 **"Really!?** **In that case, I'm definitely adding it to the list of things I'm gonna eat once I get my body back!**

 **"Right! Put it on there! Right near the top!"**

All the children smiled. It was nice to know that the brothers had been optimistic despite all they were going through.

 ** _"_ Brother..."**

 **"Hmm?"**

 **"I sure would like to get our old bodies back soon..."**

 **"I know...Me too..."**

"Oh, Dad..." That was all Nina could think of to choke out. Her father sounded so young and scared. Trisha and Aaron had similar thoughts.

 ** _"_ One more...One more, and Fuhrer Bradley is on his way to hell."**

The whole group felt shivers down their spines, both from the man's ominous words and the threatening sound of violins playing in the background.

 ** _Suddenly, a picture of a determined looking Edward pops up on screen, his name written beside him, with a voice calling out, "Fullmetal Alchemist!" There is another cool picture of Alphonse, also with his name, and the voice calls out again._**

Aaron jumped a bit, both surprised and confused. "The hell was that?"

His sister thrust a paper into his face. When he looked at her questioningly, she looked irritated. "I found it on the table. It's from Truth."

He sighed. "I don't even care anymore. Let's just assume this is going to happen every time."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Elicia rubbed her temples. "I'm already getting sick of this guy."

* * *

 **There's the first half of Episode 1! I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **If you haven't already, please follow and/or favorite this story and/or me and check out my other FMA fanfic, "Journey Anew!"**

 **I DO NOT OWN FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST.**

 **I hope you have an amazing day!**


	5. E1: Fullmetal Alchemist (Part 2)

**Part 2 of Episode 1! Let's go!**

 **Like I said before, I know this format is a little confusing. A more detailed version can be found on Quotev, or you can watch along on Netflix.**

 **I also have the kids react to the opening song at the end of the chapter. I had to skip around a bit to only the parts they actually reacted to.**

 **I hope you enjoy this!**

* * *

 ** _"_ We have a confirmed report that McDougal broke into Central Prison last night. ****Whatever he's up to, he's growing bold. That means our time is short.** **Close off all roads. Search every square inch of the city. When you find him, shoot on sight. That is an order from the Fuhrer himself."**

"Shoot him?" Nina asked, looking somewhat shocked. "No doubt he needs to be captured after what he's done, but shooting him?"

"That's the way it's done sometimes," Joshua told her, shrugging his shoulders. He had been given a few orders like that in his service. "With criminals like that, you pretty much have no other option."

Trisha frowned at Joshua's words. She couldn't help but agree, but she sympathized with Nina. With the way they had been raised, the act of shooting anyone seemed a little extreme - even if it was the only real way to stop a criminal who had hurt...no, _killed_ multiple people.

She swallowed hard, not wanting to think about the soldiers McDougal had transmuted. She didn't want to think about how she'd watched those good men die.

"Don't worry," Elicia assured the youngest Elric. "It wasn't a shoot-to-kill order. They could easily take him down in the leg, and that would be the end of it."

Trisha pursed her lips. "It's still not a pleasant thought."

 ** _"_ But if I find him first, he's mine."**

Joshua tried to fight down the excitement growing inside him, the feeling he always got when he was a kid. He'd only seen his dad perform his flame alchemy on a few occasions, all of them just being little tricks to amuse him when he was little. Now, he was going to see what those flames were like in real combat.

 ** _"_ Get a medic! Hurry!"**

 **"Report to Headquarters! Five men dead!"**

Aaron furrowed his eyebrow, frowning. This first episode already had quite the death rate. What was the rest of this thing going to be like?

 ** _"_ How awful..."**

 **"Looks like a steam explosion. Raise the temperature of water fast enough, it expands with the force of a bomb blast, and the human body is seventy percent water...** **Let's hurry. We have to find him before he hurts anyone else."**

 **"Hmm."**

Trisha once again felt her heart sink a little. Again, her father was acting so nonchalant in such a horrible situation. Why? How? He obviously wanted to stop the Freezer, but her father, the Edward she knew, would be so much more upset. Was the younger version of him just trying to act tough? If so, she didn't like it.

 ** _"_ Finished..."**

 ** _"_ Great reflexes, Issac! You were able to dodge my alchemy!"**

Despite the situation, Aaron laughed a bit, face-palming. "Oh, God..."

 ** _"_ I know that voice! Is that you, Armstrong?"**

 ** _An armored fist suddenly punches through the wall, spreading dust and debris everywhere._**

 **"INDEED!"**

The whole group jumped at the sudden punch.

 **"None other!** **It is I, the Strong Arm Alchemist - Alex Louis Armstrong - in the flesh!"**

"How does _he_ fight, I wonder?" Trisha asked aloud, chuckling lovingly.

The other children smiled as well. The gentle giant known as Alex Armstrong had been a part of their lives since they were born, and they all loved him to the bottom of their hearts.

While he knew the Major had probably seen him as a baby, the first time Aaron, and Trisha, for that matter, ever officially met the man was Aaron's fourth birthday. The Elric boy remembered the whole thing like it was yesterday. His parents - or his mother, rather - had decided to throw a huge party for him, inviting many family friends, most of them knowing Edward and Alphonse from the military, to Risembool for a couple days to celebrate and catch up. Armstrong had been among the first to show up the day before the party...and boy, did he make a wild first impression...

* * *

 _"Major Armstrong!" Alphonse exclaimed with a bright smile as he opened the door._

 _The muscle man beamed, holding up his hand in greeting. "Hello, Alphonse Elric! It's certainly been a while!"_

 _"I'll say!" Edward appeared from the kitchen, giving the man a cheeky grin. "Come on in, Major! Winry's making up some pasta for dinner."_

 _"Yes! You can smell it from all the way down the road!" Armstrong laughed, ducking to walk through the front entrance. He set his bag down and hung his coat up, promptly looking at the brothers. The three of them stood in silence for a few seconds. A small, subtle tear appeared in Alex's eye._

 _From where he was observing the scene from around the corner, Aaron swore he saw his dad and uncle physically brace themselves. He also thought he heard his father mutter, "Here we go..."_

 _Suddenly, as quick as lightning, the hulk of man had the brothers in both of his arms, hugging them fiercely and crying profusely. Through his sobs, the man cried, "Oh, Elric Brothers! It really is so nice to see you two again! You two have grown into such fine young men! Words cannot describe how happy I am! To see you settled down like this...oh, it's just too much!"_

 _"Major...choking...can't breathe!" Edward managed from the giant's grip._

 _Armstrong eventually set the two of them down. "Of course. I'm terribly sorry. I just don't get to see you as often as I used to..."_

 _It was then that the man's eyes discovered Aaron peeping on the sidelines. The four-year-old jumped a bit, retreating back some ways, though his eyes still peeked around the corner, hesitant and somewhat embarrassed._

 _"Good Lord!" Armstrong gasped, his eyes widening a bit. "That can't possibly be your boy, Edward?"_

 _"Sure is," Ed assured him, a proud smile on his face. He gave his son a reassuring glance. "Come on, buddy. He may look tough, but he's really just a big softy."_

 _Reluctantly, Aaron came out of his hiding place. Though, once he was out in the open, he quickly ran to his father's side, gripping his leg a bit._

 _"What's wrong?" Edward goaded, looking surprised. "You aren't normally this shy."_

 _Alphonse gave his nephew a gentle smile. "Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"_

 _Aaron looked at the towering man, who seemed even more imposing up close. Still, his mother had always taught him to be polite to strangers. Hesitantly, he held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Armstrong. I'm Aaron."_

 _Alex knelt down to his height, returning his handshake with a surprisingly gentle grip. He had a pleasant look on his face, which told Aaron he was probably smiling under that mustache of his. "The pleasure is all mine, my boy."_

 _It was then that something clicked inside Aaron, and he immediately beamed with a wide smile, no longer deterred by the stranger. "Thank you for coming!"_

* * *

"I kind of have a hard time picturing him fighting anything, really," Aaron admitted to everyone, chuckling.

 **"Oh, shut it!"**

 ** _Angrily, McDougal reaches down to a puddle, transmuting it so it propels forward like a blade. Armstrong manages to dodge, but the water slices clean through the spikes he created in the wall._**

Elicia sighed in somewhat relief. "That was close..."

 **"I've always wanted to chop that ego down to size!"**

 ** _"_ Except you need far more than water to quench my fist!"**

 ** _"_ Major!"**

 ** _McDougal quickly whirls around, tossing a canteen at the boys, which explodes into steam. Alphonse quickly grabs Edward, shielding him with his armor. The Freezer quickly runs past them while they're distracted._**

The Elric children couldn't help but tense up at the scene, especially Nina, forgetting that her father couldn't feel anything in his armor, so the steam wouldn't affect him.

 **"Water from his canteen, huh?** **Thanks for the quick save, Al."**

 **"Let's go! He's getting away!"**

 **"Come, then. After me, Elric brothers!"**

 **"Right!"**

Trisha sighed in exasperation. "At least they're pretty experienced by this point, otherwise they would've been seriously hurt multiple times by now."

Aaron nodded. "Still, it's not necessarily a good thing to be used to combat like this..."

"Will you two please stop being such downers?" Nina pleaded. She smiled somewhat. "Our dads are okay. That's all that matters. Sure, we're seeing them in danger and we'll be worried about that, but we all know what happens in the end. Plus, we're finally able to see what our dads' lives were like that back then..." Her smile faded. "I guess, though, whether we like what we see is up for the question."

Trisha crossed her arms, now smiling as well. "No, Nina, you're right. We know that everything will turn out alright. There may be things that we might not like seeing, but there's a happily ever after at the end of this. Let's just take it how it is."

Aaron, Josh, and Elicia, inspired by the girl's words, smiled and nodded.

 ** _"_ It's been a long time, Freezer."**

 ** _"_ Well, Roy Mustang...Heh. So the Flame Alchemist came out to play."**

"Yeah, and you better be scared," Joshua warned, trying to hide his excitement.

 **"You can make this easy on both of us. I'd rather not fight an old war buddy."**

 **"War buddy? Don't flatter yourself. I knew no friends in Ishval - only military bastards and their damn dogs!"**

"You fought in the war too!" Trisha couldn't help but yell, irritated. "Whether you liked what you were doing or not, you still fought! Most of your comrades probably didn't like what they were doing either, but they're not going around killing innocent people!"

"Trisha..." Nina interrupted hesitantly.

The older girl slouched in her seat. "Sorry, I just had to let that out. The guy is seriously making me mad."

"Don't judge his actions so harshly, Trish," Joshua told her, looking down at the ground with scrunched eyes. "Once again, my parents never told me much, but I know enough to say that the Ishvalan War was like Hell on Earth."

"So you condone him killing all these people?"

"Of course not!" He somewhat snapped. Lowering his voice, he continued, "All I know is that any mention of those years brings my mom and dad great pain, and if _they're_ haunted by it, then I can't imagine what McDougal's going through."

Trisha wasn't sure how to respond, so she stayed quiet. The rest of the group silently observed. However, the silence was quickly interrupted by what happened next on screen.

 ** _There's a snapping sound, and a burst of flames erupts towards McDougal, who's eyes widen in surprise. The blast doesn't hit him, but instead a water tank, causing an explosion. Acting quickly, McDougal transmutes the water spouting from the tank. Mustang looks around in confusion, only to be doused from head to toe. McDougal quickly dashes off, smirking at his "war buddy."_**

 **"When water meets flame, the flame goes out."**

Aaron stared at the screen in awe, a giddy smile on his face. "That was actually pretty awesome."

"I know, right?" Joshua returned excitedly, even though he'd never seen his father perform combative alchemy. Still, he felt the need to show off, forgetting about the tension from a moment ago.

Trisha bit her tongue, holding back of laugh. "Your dad's weakness is pretty lame, though."

Joshua gave her a blank stare. "Huh?"

"Trisha!" Elicia scolded half-heartedly, as she was covering up her laughter as well.

Nina, not being able to help herself, looked at Joshua apologetically. "Having such an accessible weakness _is_ kind of pathetic."

The young man simply slouched, knowing his friends were right, but not wanting to admit it. "Oh, shut up..."

 ** _"_ Dammit!...** **Still there! Perfect!"**

"I just realized..." Nina suddenly said, scrunching her eyebrows in thought. "What exactly is he planning on doing with all these transmutation circles he's drawn?"

The five of them exchanged weary looks, troubled by her words.

 ** _"_ Stop, right there! I was wondering what you were doing in this alley, so I came back to check it out, and Bingo!"**

Aaron was proud to see his father acting to stop the criminal, but Nina's words made him feel uneasy.

 ** _"_ There's nowhere to run this time!"**

 **"Clearly, but who's running?"**

 ** _"_ An alchemic reaction...on this scale..."**

 ** _"_ Impossible...Unless...You don't think he's...!?"**

 ** _"_ A Philosopher's Stone!"**

The group of watchers, of course, were all wondering what a Philosopher's Stone was, why it was so significant, and why the brothers were so interested in it, but they were all too absorbed in what was happening on screen to say anything. They all had horrible feelings in their guts, but couldn't seem to turn away. Nothing like this had ever happened in their lifetimes, except for Elicia, though, as it had been established, she was young at the time and couldn't remember. They had also been too absorbed to notice the one-second shot of the old man.

 ** _"_ He's freezing all the moisture in the air..."**

 **"Edward Elric...** **You've sworn your life to the State as a dog of the military, but do you really know the ones you serve or what their plans are?"**

 **"Who cares? It's not my problem!"**

Aaron and Trisha jumped a bit at their father's words, surprised. "Dad..."

 **"Don't be a fool! He'll lead us all to ruin! I'm only doing what needs to be done!"**

 **"I told you I don't care!"**

The Elric children frowned. This certainly wasn't like the Edward they'd grown up with. Aaron and Trisha knew that their father wouldn't just blindly obey orders from someone who was hinted to have bad ethics, and Nina knew that if there was a possibility of people getting hurt that her uncle would immediately jump in to help. Still, this was a radical alchemist the brothers were dealing with. Maybe McDougal was simply spouting such stuff because of his trauma from Ishval. Also, Edward had told the children that he had joined the military to get Alphonse's body back, no matter what the cost...which probably meant turning a blind eye to corrupt superiors...

Trisha mentally slapped herself. No, her father would never do something like that, even if he was only her age at the time. McDougal simply had to be crazy. Aaron and Nina came to the same conclusion.

 ** _While McDougal is distracted, Alphonse leaps over the wall from the other side, flipping mid air and aiming to land a solid kick. McDougal manages to dodge the armor's landing, but Alphonse is quick. The two exchange a few punches and parries before Al lands a kick to the Freezer's chest, sending him tumbling out of the alleyway and into a railing separating the road from the river._**

Aaron, momentarily forgetting about his father, raised up a fist, grinning. "Yeah, Uncle Al!"

Nina smiled proudly and lovingly at the screen. "Amazing as always..." she murmured.

 **"Alright! Nice work, Al!"**

 **"But we still have to stop his alchemy!"**

 **"I know...** **So, where is it? You have a Philosopher's Stone, don't you?!"**

 _What is a Philosopher's Stone?_ While he was sure it would eventually be revealed, Aaron couldn't help but wonder this. His father and uncle had taught him a lot about alchemy, though he never went into the practice, but he had never heard them mention a Philosopher's Stone before.

 ** _"_ What are you talking about?"**

 ** _"_ I won't ask again! Where is it!?"**

 **"And what are you going to do, boy? You're out of your league!"**

 ** _"_ Stand back to prepare for a display of Armstrong Alchemy!"**

 ** _"_ He's all yours, Major!"**

 **"Witness the alchemic art passed down the Armstrong line for generations! (FAIL)** **That's unexpected..."**

 **"What the heck are you doing!? You're making it worse!"**

Despite the damage being done, the little scene managed to get a small chuckle out of the group, though they quickly turned serious again.

 **"I...I was merely...!"**

 ** _"_ The ice walls!"**

 **"They're merging..."**

 **"But...that would mean..."**

 ** _"_ If they all meet in the middle...Ah, dammit! It's Central Command!"**

 ** _"_ He's gonna freeze it over!"**

"Damn! So _that's_ his plan?" Joshua asked, eyes wide.

"I know the war wasn't right, but freezing over the whole government!?" Aaron added.

"The bastard's insane..." Trisha spat.

 **"Major! Al and I are gonna try to slow it down! Can you handle the transmutation circles?"**

 **"Consider them erased. I'm on it!"**

"They're gonna take him on again?" Elicia questioned, looking a bit worried. "That tactic hasn't necessarily been going so well lately."

Trisha shook her head, smiling somewhat. For some reason, she had a good feeling about this. "No. These are our dads we're talking about. They'll be alright. Right, Brother?"

Aaron certainly didn't look as hopeful as his sister, but he still smiled, nodding. "Yeah."

 ** _"_ Fuhrer King Bradley, for your cold-blooded crimes in Ishval, I condemn you to a frozen hell!"**

 **"Not so fast!"**

 ** _Edward, who is still at ground level, transmutes the pavement beneath him to trust him upwards and onto the glacier with McDougal. Alphonse does the same, using a transmutation circle, and lands behind Edward. The two brothers stand there, staring down the Freezer._**

Joshua had a silly grin on his face. "That is, hands down, the most badass image I've ever seen in my life."

Trisha threw up her fist, smiling. "What'd I tell ya? Dad and Uncle Al are just natural born bad asses."

Nina tried to imagine her father and uncle as they were in her time in the same situation, but she had trouble doing it. Still, she had no doubt it would look just as cool and scary. She forgot about that, though, sighing, "Do you guys _have_ to curse so much?"

 ** _"_ Two can play that game!"**

 ** _"_ Brother!"**

 **"Too slow!"**

 ** _The Freezer transmutes, causing the helmet of the armor to fly off and the body, still holding Edward, to lurch backwards._**

 **"Alphonse!"**

"Dad!" Nina couldn't help but gasp out, her hands to her mouth. She had to keep reminding herself that her father couldn't be hurt in that body. Still, this was the first time either of the brothers had, in any way, been harmed. Her cousins and friends had similar feelings going through them.

 ** _The two brothers crash to the ground. McDougal starts towards them, but Al kicks upwards, sending him back. The Elric boys flip backwards, landing upright. There's a straight-on shot of Alphonse, standing combat ready with his helmet still off. There's some kind of seal, which looks to be made in blood, on the inside neck of the armor, which is quite obviously empty._**

"Oh, God..." Aaron quickly looked down at the ground, utterly spooked. It was so strange: he knew that the suit of armor was empty and that his uncle's soul was bonded to it, but...he'd had some kind of doubt inside him up until this point. Not that he'd ever thought his dad and uncle had lied to him, but Alphonse had never really shown any signs of being body-less for four years and the whole idea, even in the world they lived in, of a soul being ripped from someone's body and attached somewhere else seemed too far-fetched. One thing was for sure, he had no doubts in him now. He clenched his fists tightly to keep them from shaking.

"He...he really is empty..." Trisha managed with teary eyes, her voice cracking. She'd had similar thoughts as her brother, having subconsciously expected a younger version of her uncle to pop out from the metal casing.

Joshua and Elicia both jumped a bit at the image, but said nothing. Even then, Elicia didn't feel as unnerved, the many times she'd seen Alphonse in the armor having slowly popped up in her memory. Nina, on the other hand...all she could do was stare, though there were a million emotions running through her. Horror, shock, awe - she wasn't sure which one was winning her over. Through the tears filling her eyes, she could only think, _That's Dad. My dad is in that terrifying, hallow, cold body. How? How on earth is that even possible? He doesn't belong in there. He doesn't..._

Then, she remembered what everything was like now. Now, her father, while still somewhat physically large, was now a source of gentleness and warmth whenever she needed him to be. Now, he didn't have to go without sleeping or eating, and he could feel the warm breeze of the springtime he loved so much and the kisses she would plant on his cheek. He was alright now, somehow, and that filled her with some relief. Still, it didn't make seeing him like this any easier.

 ** _"_ There's no one in there. It's empty."**

"We noticed," Joshua said, frowning deeply.

 ** _"_ But that...that could only be true if the soul was bonded to the armor. (Narrowing his eyes) So you lost your arm...and your brother, he lost entire body...(smirks) ****I see. It all makes sense...** **You fools committed the ultimate taboo!** **You attempted human transmutation, didn't you!? Alchemy's one and only unforgivable sin!"**

The Elric children winced. Their fathers had called their mistake a sin multiple times before, but that didn't any of them had liked it. They hated the tone of the men's voices whenever they spoke of it, as well as the implications - like they were beyond redemption. Edward and Alphonse were such loving and bright men, who seemed to bring joy to anyone they met, so even if they did do an awful thing, they were just children, and to say that it was unforgivable...

 ** _There's a flash, revealing the basement of the old Elric family home. Threatening blue light and sparks fill the room. The voice of a much younger Edward cries out in agony and fear._**

 **Edward: AAAAAL!**

A cold-blooded shiver shot through the spines of all five watchers, all of them frozen. Their eyes were widened in fear, knowing exactly what this scene was.

 _No..._ Trisha thought, though she was unable to look away from the screen. _They're not actually going to show us..._

 ** _"_ Damn it! This can't be happening! ****No!** **He's gone! What have I done!?** **Give him back...He's my brother! JUST GIVE HIM BACK! HE'S MY LITTLE BROTHER! HE'S ALL I HAVE LEFT!"**

Quite understandably, the whole group had been watching the scene in silent horror, no one finding any words that could possibly be right for the situation. Trisha had choked back at sob at the sight of her father so young and scared, crying with the stump of his leg bleeding profusely. Still, she'd taken a deep breath, thinking, _Everything's fine. Everything turned out alright._

Aaron grit his teeth, glancing over at his little sister next to him. His father's scared, determined, angry eyes stared at him through the television, and he couldn't help but wonder, _What if this happened to Trisha and me?_ Would he even be able to pull something like his father had? He would absolutely be willing to, no doubt. Him and Trisha fought on a regular basis, but he really did love her more than anything, and the thought of anything happening to her made his throat clench up. Still, if, God forbid, it ever came down to it - when his sister's life would be in his hands - would he be brave enough to risk his own life? If someone ever asked him, he'd immediately say yes, but deep down...he wasn't sure.

Nina simply squeezed her eyes tight, not wanting to see anything. Hearing her uncle scream her father's name was a terrible reminder of what could have happened. If Edward hadn't been a quick thinker, then...

 ** _"_ You know...there are some lines you really shouldn't cross."**

 ** _The Elric brothers exchange a few blows with the Freezer, eventually knocking him off the glacier._**

Even though the Freezer was a criminal, the group couldn't help but wince at the hard blows the brothers were dealing him. The Elric children were also worried about the whole tone. While previously their fathers had clearly been fighting in order to stop the criminal, it was obvious that their blows were now filled with rage, something none of the children had ever seen from the two men. Nowadays, whenever the two were questioned about the ordeal, they would answer calmly and honestly, despite it obviously being uncomfortable. Never once had they blown up over the subject of their sin.

 _It was still a fresh wound back then,_ Nina guessed to herself, her heart heavy. _They're still only kids._

 ** _"_ Give it up! There's no water for you to use here."**

 **"You've forgotten something. I've got all the water I need - seventy percent of my body!"**

 ** _McDougal shoots a solid spear of blood from his hands, which pierces itself in the young alchemist's left shoulder, throwing him back._**

"No!" Trisha half-yelled, half-gasped. Everyone else jumped a bit as well. It looked like Edward had been stabbed in the chest.

 **"Ed!"**

 ** _"_ Why can't you fools understand!? I'm trying to save this country!"**

"By destroying the government?" Elicia reiterated, frowning deeply. She just couldn't understand this man. "Oh, yeah. That's a really smart idea."

 ** _"_ Brother...Brother!"**

 **"Come on. We're going after him. I'm not done...(Pulls out spike)** **Not even close."**

The whole group winced when the boy pulled the shard out of his shoulder, but still said nothing.

 ** _"_ Did we get it? (Ice reforms) ****Arg! Not again!"**

 ** _The Flame Alchemist angrily struts through the line of soldiers, though rather awkwardly due to his dripping wet uniform form McDougal's previous attack._**

Aaron covered his mouth, but couldn't stop a chuckle from escaping him. "I'd completely forgotten about that."

"Yeah," Trisha agreed, not even trying to hide her amused grin. "Still lame."

"Sorry, Uncle Roy," Elicia apologized cheekily to the man onscreen.

Joshua sighed in exasperation, rubbing his eyes. "Come on, guys..."

 ** _The colonel extends his arm, sharply snapping his fingers. A burst of flames shoots from the air around him, engulfing the whole ice wall._**

 **"What do you think of my flames now, you bastard!?"**

Joshua smiled proudly, raising a fist. His eyes sparkled, amazed by his father's alchemy on screen. It was so much more powerful than he'd imagined. "Hell yeah, Dad!"

"Okay, I take back what I said," Aaron admitted, a surprised and amazed smile on his face. "That was pretty awesome."

"I don't!" Trisha added cheerfully. Smirking teasingly as Joshua, she said, "It makes his weakness all the more lame."

"Well, Miss Sass! I'll let you know that you're...!" Joshua let her words sink in, and a look of realization dawned on his face. Bowing his head in defeat, he ended, "...totally right..."

Trisha smiled triumphantly, dramatically tossing her hair back. "I'm always right, dear Joshua. You'd think you'd know that by now."

"Lay off, Sis," Aaron warned, frowning somewhat. "How would you feel if he kept making fun of Dad or Uncle Al?"

His sister deflated a bit, looking back at the screen while mumbling, "I was only joking..."

 ** _"_ When will he learn? It's bad enough he's useless on rainy days."**

Now, playful slander from his mother about his father was something Josh could handle. He smiled sweetly again at the sight of his mother once again appearing on screen. He wished his parents could have appeared more before this point, but they had countless episodes left. Surely, they had a big role in this story. Otherwise, why was he even here?

"See? Even Riza agrees with me," Trisha defended quietly.

"Oh, Trisha," Nina sighed tiredly, though she still smiled sweetly at her older cousin.

 ** _Cut back to McDougal, who's staggering through a dark alleyway, holding onto a wall to keep him steady._**

The children frowned once more, being reminded that the criminal was still on the loose.

 ** _"_ Bradley!"**

 _Why is the leader of the country helping in the search of some random criminal, especially when he ordered Dad to do it? And how did he end up in the alley, anyway?_ Josh pondered this, furrowing his eyebrows.

 ** _"_ Perfect!"**

 ** _The Freezer runs at the Fuhrer, solid blood spear in hand. However, after a moment of tense silence, blood spurts from McDougal's shoulders and he falls to the ground. Bradley, seemingly, hasn't moved in all, those his sword is drawn._**

The whole group gasped in surprise, Nina and Trisha flinching at bit at the sudden sight of blood.

"He got him!" Aaron exclaimed in awe.

 ** _A small pebble, glowing bright red, flows through the McDougal's blood, but disintegrates as it touches a lock of hair._**

Elicia raised her eyebrows. "A Philosopher's Stone?"

"That's what I'm guessing..." Joshua agreed.

"So, he did have one," Trisha mused, "but why did Dad and Uncle Al want it?"

 ** _"_ Now, that's too bad..."**

"How did he know...?" Joshua wondered aloud, whispering. He had an uneasy feeling in his gut whenever the Crimson Alchemist appeared on screen.

 ** _"_ Major! Go now!"**

 ** _"_ Leave it to me! THE ARMSTRONG FISTS WILL NOT FAIL!"**

The whole group managed to chuckle once more at the man's outlandish nature.

"How can you _not_ love Mr. Armstrong?" Nina asked, smiling sweetly.

 ** _Armstrong punches the cobblestone alleyway, causing the stone to break and the transmutation circle to be cut off. This allows the city-wide transmutation circle to be deactivated._**

 _Smart plan, as always, Dad,_ Joshua thought proudly, smiling.

 ** _There is another shot of the old man in blue light, only this time, he is closing his eyes. He stays on the screen longer too._**

Nina scrunched her eyes. "Who was that?"

"Like we know," Trisha answered, also looking confused. "That was random as hell."

Aaron shook his head. "Something's telling me it's not..."

"I think there was a quick shot of him before," Elicia brought up, looking thoughtful, "around the time when the transmutation circles were taking affect. There was so much going on at the time that I thought I just imagined it."

"So, he appeared when McDougal's plan was put in motion, then appeared again when that plan is foiled..."

Joshua's observation hung heavy over the room, though none of the five of them really knew what the implications were. They all turned their attention back to the screen.

 ** _We see Edward and Alphonse standing in an alleyway, looking at something in front of them with surprise. Edward is panting heavily and holding his injured arm. The image shifts to show what they're looking at - McDougal's corpse lays under a tarp with military police and the Fuhrer looking over it._**

"So, he did end up dying," Trisha muttered, not sure if she should be glad or upset.

 **"Fuhrer Bradley? You're here?"**

 ** _"_ Ah, yes. Job well done, Fullmetal. I came out here to see if I could lend a hand. And to think that I'd actually be the one to catch him! If anything else, this should make an excellent story for my son!"**

Joshua narrowed his eyes, frowning. Something about that explanation didn't sit well with him, but why was he really doubting anything? The Fuhrer seemed amiable enough and a dependable leader at that. So, why...?

His companions didn't really seem to pick up anything suspicious. Instead, Trisha frowned somewhat. "Oh, yeah. Tell your son about how you chopped a criminal to pieces."

"That's over-exaggerating a bit, Trisha," Nina observed, a little upset by McDougal's death as well. "Besides, he'll probably revise that part anyway."

 ** _"_ Oh, that a cold I hear? Ah, never mind! (Running over to the desk) From what I'm told, you're the man of the hour!"**

Elicia smiled warmly again at the sight of her father. She was definitely looking forward to seeing him more.

 **"Nah. I just destroyed the transmutation circles. The Fuhrer's the one who brought down McDougal."**

 **"Sure, but the Fuhrer is telling everyone it was you! So, congratulations!"**

"That's awfully nice of him," Nina commented genuinely, eyebrows raised. Despite looking menacing, Bradley did seem like a kind man.

"It's because he knows my dad deserves the recognition!" Joshua told her, looking proud and forgetting about his previous suspicion.

Trisha looked exasperated, smiling amusingly. "Oh, shut up."

 ** _"_ So, it's like that, huh? Suit yourself, but some friendly advice: next time a superior tells you to take credit for something you didn't do, you might try it for once."**

"That's some rather crooked advice," Aaron commented, though he was chuckling at the scene.

"Yeah, I guess so..." Elicia smiled as well, knowing that Aaron meant nothing by what he said, but she still felt a little defensive, despite not really agreeing with what her father had just said.

"Like my dad would ever do it though," Josh added. "He has too much pride."

 ** _"_ You know, we never did find out whether or not he had a Philosopher's Stone..."**

 **"No, but maybe it will say something in the official report."**

 _What is it?_ The thought ran through the group's minds again.

"At least, they're staying optimistic," Elicia smiled.

 ** _"_ Greetings, Edward Elric. When I heard you were in the hospital, I DASHED RIGHT OVER! ****As I suspected, you're in desperate need of my assistance! (Rips off shirt, boys scream)** **You need the example of a perfect physical specimen to inspire your recovery! You see!? You're looking livelier already!"**

 **"WILL YOU GET OUT!?"**

"W..Why...HA! HA!" Trisha was on the floor, laying on her stomach as she died of laughter. Tears streaming down her face, she asked, "How would...how would taking his shirt off help him!?"

The other children we're laughing so hard that they couldn't provide any answer. They remained in hysterics for a few more minutes until they finally managed to calm down.

"My..my stomach hurts!" Joshua complained.

"At least, the man has self-confidence," Aaron offered up, wiping tears from his eyes.

 ** _The screen faces to a woman's lips held against a phone, the whole image shaded red. Her black lips are fixed in a smirk._**

The five watches raised their eyebrows, an eerie chill suddenly passing over them.

"What's this?" Aaron whispered.

 **"Ah, I see. So, Issac's dead, is he? That's a shame. I had such high hopes for him too. But...the Philosopher's Stone?"**

The whole group gasped a little. They were all sure they hadn't seen this woman before. Who was she, and how was she related to McDougal? Was she the one who gave him the Philosopher's Stone?

 **"Sounds like he overused it."**

 ** _Cut to another image, still shaded red, of a fat, bald man, his eyes glowing, as he hungrily chomps down on something._**

Trisha retched back a little bit, disgusted. "What is _that?"_

 ** _"_ Gluttony! Try to chew quietly. I'm on the phone."**

"Quite the mean nickname," Joshua muttered, but he couldn't seem to find it funny with the ominous tone the scene was giving off, and neither could his friends.

 ** _"_ Yes. Things are going well here in Liore. ****We'll be ready. It all begins very soon..."**

The watchers sat in silence for a few seconds, unnerved by the mystery woman's words.

"That was...really freaky..." Trisha frowned, holding her arms.

Everyone else obviously nodded in agreement. Suddenly, Nina gasped, making the others turn to her. She looked at them nervously. "Didn't Dad and Uncle Ed say that they were going to Liore at the beginning?"

Aaron stiffened a bit. "Yeah, they did."

All three Elric children frowned. They didn't know anything about the woman in black or her overweight friend, but they were sure they didn't want their fathers to come in contact with them.

"Oh!" Elicia's exclamation caused them all to jump. "Wasn't there supposed to be a song thingy at the end?"

"Oh, yeah..." Trisha remembered, scratching her chin. "Something that's usually supposed to be at the beginning of each episode thing. What is it supposed to be again?"

"Well, Truth said that it gives a feel about what's going to happen, but some of the things we see might be exaggerations or something like that," Aaron offered up, looking tired.

Joshua sighed, looking tired as well. "Let's watch, then..."

 ** _A young man with golden hair and eyes fades into the picture, a slight wind blowing his hair and clothes._**

The children perked up a bit, surprised. Golden hair and eyes - pretty much the staple of the Elric family - but that boy clearly wasn't Edward or Alphonse, so who was he?

 ** _Fades to an image of a young-looking woman, wearing a simple purple dress and her chestnut hair in a side-ponytail - this is Edward and Alphonse's mother, Trisha._**

The Elric children gasped, immediately recognizing the woman from old family photos. "Grandma..."

 _ **The title card "FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST" over Edward and Alphonse standing in front of their childhood home burning to the ground.**_

Her father's voice rang in Trisha's ears from the first time she heard the story: _Before we left home that final time, before I took on my duty's a soldier, your uncle and I burned down that house that we grew up in. We didn't take anything out - no old toys, photos, nothing. It seems stupid now, but at the time, we thought that it would be a lot easier to move forward if we didn't have a home to come back to. We figured that if everything from the past was destroyed, there would be nothing we could cling to._

She fought back the tears she felt swelling up in her eyes.

 ** _We see what is presumably the man with glasses from before, wearing a trench coat, which blows in the wind along with his also long hair._**

Aaron narrowed his eyes, frowning. That man almost looked like his father, except Edward didn't have any facial hair and didn't wear glasses. That, and Edward looked quite a bit younger. Whoever this man was, it couldn't be a coincidence that he appeared right after Edward and in the beginning along with the boys and his grandmother.

 ** _The scene switches, the image panning upwards to show the younger Edward and Alphonse, along with Winry Rockbell, sleeping peacefully. This is only brief, as the image cuts again to the trio, a bit older, walking down a Risembool road with their backs facing the camera._**

Trisha and Aaron perked up a bit, catching the glimpse of their mother, but only barely.

 _ **We now see the armored Alphonse laying in the grass under a tree, pondering. His eyes brighten up as he holds his hand up to the sky, obviously longing for something. The image then shifts to him standing up in a poppy field, looking over the landscape at Central in the distance.**_

"Dad..." Nina looked at the screen lovingly, though she felt tears in her eyes. The image of her father stretching for something beyond his reach tugged at her heart.

 ** _The image quickly changes to Maes Hughes against a black background. As the camera pans on him, light reflects off his glasses as his hard look glares through the camera._**

The whole group, especially Elicia, was surprised by this, especially since Hughes had been so cheery during the episode.

 ** _The music is now in full gear. We see Edward and Alphonse get torn away by the Truth, while Winry is nearly knocked off her feet._**

The Elric children just stared wide-eyes and horrified at the scene of their young fathers being ripped apart so mercilessly, so much so that Aaron and Trisha hardly noticed the second appearance of their mother.

 ** _A rather handsome man with a sharp jaw and spiky black hair smirks at the camera, only to have his whole body turn black with menacing black eyes and ragged teeth._**

All five watchers, who had been having trouble keep track of all the images flashing in front of them, jumped at the sight of the sudden terrifying change, with Elicia actually letting out a small gasp.

 ** _The Fullmetal Alchemist and the man with the long hair exchange a few blows and dodges, but the duct they're on suddenly collapses upon the larger man jumping and landing on it. An explosion bursts from the duct, seemingly engulfing the three of them._**

Trisha grasped at her brother's hand, which he gladly took. _These are exaggerations. Dad's fine. He didn't burn to death._

 ** _We see an unknown man sitting under a tree in the middle of a rain storm. He looks to be Ishvalan._**

 _How does he fit into the story I wonder..._ Nina thought to herself.

 ** _We see an short, elderly lady sitting on some steps overlooking the quaint town of Risembool, smoking a pipe. A dog with an automail leg quickly runs up from off-screen._**

"That's our porch..." Trisha noticed, perking up.

Aaron, still holding her hand, smiled sadly. "That must be Granny Pinako."

 ** _The song wraps up and the screen fades to black._**

The group sat in silence for a moment, waiting to see if there was more. However, when it was clear that wasn't anything else, their postures immediately relaxed and they all let out tired sighs.

"That was...really something," Joshua finally said.

"Yeah," Aaron agreed, rubbing his eyes. Turning to his sister, he asked, "You still think it's a joke?"

Trisha gave her brother a half-hearted glare and shook her head. "Do you even have to ask me that? Of course, I don't think it's a joke." She slouched a little bit, looking dejected. "Still, we're only one episode in and I already have a billion questions."

"Here, here," Elicia raised her first tiredly in agreement.

Nina sighed, looking at the screen in apprehension then back at her cousins and friends. "Well, should we move on and see if some our questions are answered?"

Joshua sighed, looking at the screen with so many emotions in his eyes. "Why the hell not?"

* * *

 **Yay! We're done with the first episode! Next, we get to the real heavy stuff: "Episode 2: The First Day."**

 **If you haven't already, please follow and/or favorite this story and/or me, and please leave a review to tell me what you think! Also, please be sure to check out my other FMA fanfic, "Journey Anew!"**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you have a wonderful day!**


	6. E2: The First Day (Part 1)

**Here we have it! The children reacting to Episode 2: The First Day! Prepare to be depressed...**

 **Hope you like it!**

* * *

 ** _"(Narrating)_ Alchemy - the science of understanding, deconstructing, and reconstructing matter. ****However, it is not an all-powerful art.** **It is impossible to create something out of nothing. If one wishes to obtain something, something of equal value must be given.**

 ** _A close up on the red stone, revealing grotesque, human-looking figures silently crying out in pain._**

The five watchers flinched a bit at the rather disturbing image, though none of them put together the horrible truth the sequence had just foreshadowed.

 **"(Narrating) This is the law of equivalent exchange - the basis of all alchemy.** **In accordance with this law, there is a taboo among alchemists.** **Human transmutation is strictly forbidden. For what could equal the value of a human soul?"**

Joshua and the Elrics nodded somewhat, having been taught this lesson countless times over the years, especially the younger three. Aaron, Trisha, and Nina also felt heavy-hearted and somewhat offended when their young fathers were shown at the mention of human transmutation.

 _The thing is acting like they were the only ones who ever tried it,_ Aaron thought bitterly to himself. _They were only kids, damn it._

 _ **A white flash gives way to the opening song.**_

"Guess it's gonna be at the beginning from now on," Nina commented.

The group, like before, mostly watched the sequence in silence, taking in details they might have missed upon their first viewing. For the most part, their thoughts were filled with a lot of _Who's that?_ Obviously these people would eventually be introduced, but none of them really had good patience, except Elicia and Nina, though they were much more curious than usual.

Aaron studied the golden-haired man in glasses once more, and suddenly, the revelation hit him. _Our grandfather, maybe?_ he thought fervently. _There aren't any pictures of him around the house, so I can't know for sure. Still, it would make sense since he kind of looks like Dad and he's been grouped in with the rest of the family._

When the three - possibly four, counting the weird guy who suddenly turned black - figures who the children could clearly put together were probably going to be adversaries of their fathers showed up, all of them narrowed their eyes. It was clear that their parents, or at least Edward and Alphonse, were going to come in contact with these people, which gave said men's kids horrible feelings in their stomachs. From the way the woman in black had talked before, it didn't seem like they were planning for a picnic.

 ** _"_ Brother...** **The stories about this priest in Liore - you think they're true?"**

The group stiffened a bit, their guess having been proven right. The Elrics scrunched their faces worriedly. It looked like their fathers would have to meet those sinister people after all. Still, what could those people dish out for them that McDougal hadn't already?

Trisha mentally slapped herself. They would be fine.

 ** _"_ The ones about his miracles? They say he can transmute flowers out of thin air, right? Could be a sleight of hand, some cheap trick like that."**

 ** _"_ But...what if it's not?"**

 ** _"_ Right. If it's not, I suppose all that leaves is the real thing, huh?"**

 ** _"_ The celestial stone that destroyed the city of Xerxes in one night. The Grand Elixir, sealed away by the Eastern Sage. It goes by different names, but it's always the same thing: some kind of object that amplifies alchemy. ****That's the Philosopher's Stone."**

The whole group perked up, a common reaction by now. Were they finally going to get an explanation?

 ** _"_ If we could just get our hands on it somehow, I might be able to get your body back...** **DAMN BOOKS! They tell us everything but how to find it!"**

The Elrics' hearts felt heavy at the sight of Edward without his limbs, but they still smiled a bit, finally understanding. Joshua and Elicia felt relieved as well.

"So, that's why they wanted McDougal's stone so badly..." Elicia concluded, looking a bit sad.

"Yeah..." Trisha thought about her father's face when he'd realized that McDougal possibly had a Philosopher's Stone. He had looked so hopeful, yet hungry like an animal. "They've probably been searching for it for years at this point. After all that time, they thought they had a way to get their bodies back for good..."

"What if this priest they're talking about really does have a Stone, though?" Nina asked hopefully.

Joshua shook his head, thoughtful. "Probably not. For one, this whole series is supposed to show Ed and Al during their time in the military, right? Edward quit the military almost immediately after they got their bodies back, so that can't be until the end or close to it. My guess is that this priest guy will be a fake or something and that this whole thing will be the two of them trying to find one to use."

"I have to agree with you on that," Aaron admitted. A sudden thought came to him that made his throat dry. "That woman in black...it seems like she gave that Stone to McDougal, which tells me she knows a lot more about them than our fathers do. That, and they'll probably cross paths more than once. I don't think I like that."

"Me neither," Trisha agreed, pursing her lips. A little thought itched at the back of her mind. _Why didn't Dad tell us about that part, though?_

 ** _"_ Al?"**

 **"Yeah?"**

 **"I think I have a good feeling about this one."**

 ** _"_ Me too."**

"This one..." Trisha muttered, smiling sadly. "Just how many leads have they followed?"

 ** _"_ Ed? Al? Where are you? ****Oh, you boys..."**

"Grandma..." That was all Trisha could manage to get out of her mouth. She wasn't sure what else there was to say. Her, Nina, and Aaron all smiled lovingly at the screen with tears in their eyes. Obviously, they had heard only good things about their grandmother from their fathers - how she was the most loving, caring, selfless mother anyone could have. Trisha especially had always loved the stories the brothers would tell her, since her grandmother was her namesake after all. Hearing all the great things about her, the young girl couldn't help but swell with pride at being named after someone so wonderful. Now, she was going to see the legendary woman in action.

 ** _Younger versions of Edward and Alphonse look up from their circles in surprise._**

"Aw! Look at them! Dad and Uncle Al were adorable as kids!" Trisha cooed, grinning.

Aaron rolled his eyes a bit, smirking. "It's not like there aren't a billion pictures of them around the house."

This was followed by a glare from his sister. "Oh, shut up."

 **"Are you in here messing up your dad's study again? And Ed, you know better than to scribble on the floor."**

 **"Yeah, but it's not scribbling. Here, watch!"**

 ** _"_ Oh, my! That's alchemy, isn't it? ****Did your dad teach you that?"**

 **"How can he teach us anything if he's not here?"**

"Ooo..." The question had actually been asked with innocence and curiosity, but the five audience members had been told enough to know that Edward's attitude toward his absent father wouldn't be so mild for long.

 **"Right. We read about in these books."**

"Look at the way Al's sitting," Elicia couldn't help but coo at the young boys as well, "with his arms all crossed in his legs like that!"

"They're cute. We get it," Joshua deadpanned, somewhat annoyed. Elicia smacked him lightly over the head, making him wince and promptly shut his mouth.

 **"I can't believe you've done this!"**

 ** _"_ I'm sorry. Did we mess up?"**

 **"No! No!** **It's great! You definitely take after your father! My little geniuses, you make me so proud!"**

 _She always looked so proud of us,_ Nina remembered her father's words during one of his story sessions. He had smiled softly, looking both sad and nostalgic. _No matter what we tore up to further our alchemy, she would just smile widely and praise us to no end...We always felt so special around her, almost like we were magic..._

 **"(Narrating) And that was it. Mom had given us all the encouragement we needed. From that moment, we were obsessed with learning alchemy."**

Nina smiled subtly. "So, it begins..."

 ** _"(Narrating)_ But then...in the summer of that same year, an epidemic swept the country. The sickness came, and it took her..."**

The Elric children slumped their shoulders in both sadness and disappointment. They'd been hoping to see more of their grandmother than that, but apparently not. Not only that, but the subtle anguish in Edward's narration was enough to eat at their hearts.

Trisha lay her head on her brother's shoulder for a second, one of her signs of affection.

 ** _"_ Hey, Brother? I'm hungry, aren't you? ****And it's cold here. Let's go home, please?** **Once Dad comes back, everything will be -"**

 **"Don't even talk about him!** **That bastard doesn't care about us! He's not our dad! He didn't even come to Mom's funeral..."**

Joshua raised his eyebrows at this information, but they quickly arched in slight anger as he nodded a bit. "Sounds like a Class A Bastard to me."

Nina frowned deeply, thinking about her own father would react if her or her mother were to die. "What kind of man just runs off like that? Even after his wife died and his sons needed him, he didn't come back..."

The other three had about the same sentiments, but something wasn't sitting quite well with Aaron. A small memory poked at the back of his head from back before he knew about his father's service...

* * *

 _"Hey, Dad?" Eight-year-old Joshua stared at the multitude of pictures hanging on the living room wall. Countless pictures of him and his sister, Nina, Uncle Al and Aunt Mei, and countless other family members and friends. He spotted Grandma and Grandpa Rockbell, Granny Pinako, and Grandma Trisha, all of whom had passed away before he was born, but he couldn't help but notice someone missing._

 _"What's up, bud?" Edward asked absentmindedly from the couch as he flipped through some of his old research notes._

 _"Where's Grandpa?"_

 _His father turned around to look at him, a bit surprised and confused by the question. He looked at the wall of photographs for a second, then walked over and pointed to a picture of Aaron's mom when she was little with her parents. "There's Grandpa Yuri, right there."_

 _"Not_ that _grandpa," the boy pointed out, his eyebrows furrowed in thought. He looked back at the pictures, then back at his father. "Where's Grandpa Elric?_ Your _dad?"_

 _Edward stared at his son for a second, surprised. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well...we don't have any pictures of him."_

 _This shocked Aaron. His mom kept a picture of even family friend's friends, so how did they not have a picture of his grandpa, such an important member of the family? "Why?"_

 _His father looked at an older family photo from Aaron's second birthday party - him and Trisha were pretty much babies back then, their parents holding them up as they all smiled for the camera with Mei, Al, Paninya and Mr. Garfiel in the background. He examined the picture with a sad look in his eyes, then looked back at his son. "He wasn't around very much when me and Uncle Al were little."_

 _"Why?" A horrible thought came to Aaron. "Did he die!?"_

 _"No," Edward explained calmly, smiling a bit in reassurance. "Well, I'm afraid he_ is _dead now, but back then he wasn't."_

 _"Oh, so did he go on trips like you and Uncle Al do sometimes? Was he just gone all the time because of that?"_

 _"Well, Aaron...you see..." The man sighed tiredly once more, kneeling to be eye-to-eye with his son. "It might be a little hard for you to understand, but one day, when your uncle and I were little, he just...left home. He...went on a trip and...never came back."_

 _Aaron's stomach suddenly felt heavy. "Never?"_

 _"Well, he did eventually show up, but it wasn't for a really, really long time."_

 _"Did something happen to him?"_

 _"No, he just decided to not come home."_

 _Looking at his own father in front of him, Aaron thought about how he would feel if he were to disappear without a trace, how heartbroken it would leave the whole family. He honestly felt like tearing up, but he stopped himself. He was a man now. "Didn't he love you?"_

 _This question stumped up Edward for a second, but he eventually smiled, patting his son's head. "Yeah. I'm pretty sure he did."_

 _"Then why did he...?"_

 _"Aaron, buddy..." That's when he got the look. Too many questions. "There's just some stuff you're too young to understand yet. I know you don't really like hearing that, but it's the truth. I promise that I'll tell you when you get bigger, okay?"_

 _His father smiled at him, and Aaron knew he pretty much didn't have a choice. "Okay."_

* * *

Aaron furrowed his eyebrows. It seemed all these episodes were doing was giving him more and more questions.

 ** _There's a closeup of the front of the stone, which reads: Trisha Elric, 1878-1904._**

Trisha shivered. While she liked visiting her grandmother's grave, seeing her own name on the marker always unsettled her.

 ** _"_ You know, there might be a way we could bring Mom back."**

All five children gasped a bit, their eyes slightly wide with horror. Edward and Alphonse had never mentioned the idea of human transmutation had popped into their heads so early on.

 ** _"_ But I thought it said in those books that using alchemy to make people is something you're not supposed to do ever."**

 **"That's right. That's why it will be our secret."**

 _Stop it,_ Trisha could only stare at her younger father and uncle on screen. _You're too young to be thinking of doing something like that. You shouldn't be thinking of something like that_ ever.

 ** _"_ I'd thought I'd find you here."**

 **"What do you want, Winry?"**

Aaron and Trisha perked up, their mother finally having made an appearance, though she was obviously very young. Eyes sparkling a bit, they leaned forward, completely engrossed now.

 **"You know what my grandma said? She said you shouldn't cry for loved ones who've passed away, because if you do, it will make them feel sad in the next world too."**

 ** _"_ We're not crying! And...who are you to talk anyway? Every time your parents go away somewhere, you cry like a little baby!"**

 ** _"_ I...I do not! I don't!"**

 **"Are you sure? Baby!"**

 **"I'm so stupid for worrying about you! (Running away) I'm going home to tell Grandma not to make you any dinner!"**

 ** _"_ Hey! What are you going to do that for!? Hold up!"**

 **"Yeah! Wait for us!"**

The whole group chuckled at the young brothers' expense. Smiling sweetly at the screen, Elicia cooed, "Ah, young love..."

Edward and Winry's children looked at Elicia in surprise, the two of them coming to a realization. Both of their parents, as well as their Uncle Alphonse, had said that they'd fallen in love with each other during Edward's service, which meant they were surely going to see the growth of their relationship. Trisha looked at her brother with excitement in her eyes, grinning. Her expression was so good, he couldn't help but return it.

 ** _"_ Thanks for the dinner!"**

"Wow, the house was so small back then," Nina smiled at the screen, then looked around the very same house which they sat in now.

Her cousins nodded, smiling a bit as well. After the two oldest Elric children had been born, Edward and Alphonse had made some expansions to the old house, figuring that the family would only continue to grow from there, and even if it didn't, they would probably need the extra room anyway.

 ** _"_ Come on, Ed. Drink your milk, too."**

 **"No. I hate milk."**

 **"If you don't drink it, you'll stay short forever."**

 ** _"_ You mean like you, you sow-level hag!?"**

 ** _"_ What was that, you little half-pint midget!?"**

 ** _"_ Short, damn mini witch!"**

 **"Micro peewee!"**

 **"MANIAC BABY!"**

 **"SUBATOMIC SHRIMP!"**

"Now _that_ was a good one," Joshua managed through his chuckles. The others were laughing pretty good as well.

"You tell him, Granny!" Trisha cheered on.

 ** _"_ You were reading those weird books in the middle of class again. You need to pay attention to the lesson."**

 **"Leave us alone, will ya?"**

 **"So, what kind of books are they anyway?"**

 ** _"_ It's a secret."**

 ** _"_ In other words, it's none of your damn business, Winry."**

"Edward!" Elicia scolded, even though she knew the boy couldn't hear her through the screen. Still, that wasn't any way to speak to a friend, especially if that friend is a girl and your future wife.

Aaron made a sour face as well, but for a different reason. "Man, if I'd said something like that when I was that age the guy wouldn't have let me hear the end of it. Hypocrite..."

"You should refrain from saying that stuff _now,"_ Nina muttered, exasperated.

 **"Oh, come on! No fair! You guys are always keeping secrets!"**

 ** _"_ Bye, Winry!"**

 ** _"_ Hey! I forgot! Grandma wanted me to tell you she's making stew tonight!"**

 ** _"_ Yay! Stew!"**

 ** _"_ Alright! We'll be there!"**

"Jeez, Uncle Al was a _lot_ nicer to Mom back then," Aaron commented, chuckling a bit. "By the looks of things, I'm surprised she didn't end up with him."

"Then we wouldn't exist, dummy," Trisha flicked her brother's forehead. He flinched a little bit, and she smirked. "Besides, didn't you hear what she said earlier? She said she probably would've married him if she wanted a gentleman for a husband."

Nina made a face and, half-jokingly and half-serious, said, "I don't really want to know where we all would've ended up if that had happened. Everything's fine the way it is."

"Of course it is," Aaron sincerely agreed. "I'm just glad I didn't inherit Dad's poor manners when I was little."

"Don't act so innocent." His sister narrowed her eyes at him. "You could be a real jerk when you wanted to."

The oldest Elric looked surprised, having been unaware of this fact. "Was I?"

"You kind of were, my friend. Sorry," Joshua admitted, chuckling with sympathy.

"Hey, you're a guilty party too, so I wouldn't be talking," Trisha added, turning on him as well. She remembered quite a few instances of shoving and hair pulling.

The young man went to retort, but, knowing that she was right, decided not to argue. In truth, all of them were brats sometimes when they were younger.

 ** _"_ You know, whoever invented stew must have been a genius. It's even got milk in it, and it still tastes good!"**

 **"So, that makes it genius?"**

 ** _In the background stands the suit of armor that will eventually harbor Al's soul. For obvious reasons, the boys pay no attention to it._**

The smiles that had been on the children's faces immediately disappeared at the image. Through all the fun of seeing their parents as children and the antics they got into, they'd forgotten about what was to come. Though it wasn't really a disturbing image, the Elric children especially had trouble looking at it, though the young versions of their fathers, of course, didn't find the figure imposing in the slightest.

 **"Someone came up with the idea to pour milk into vegetable soup for the first time, right? That's a leap of imagination - the kind a scientist needs to be able to make too!"**

 ** _"_ I don't know. I guess that's true."**

 **"Sure it is! Just one leap - that's all it takes! That's what we need to figure out human transmutation!"**

The group winced again at such a heavy phrase coming from the mouth of such a young child.l

"It's such an inspiring idea..." Joshua muttered, giving a humorless chuckle, "but it's an idea that will bring them to ruin..."

 ** _" (Narrating)_ And so, we began searching for the key that would unlock the secret of human transmutation and bring Mom back to life. ****We trained with an alchemy teacher to prepare our bodies, as well as our minds.** **It took years of constant effort, but we wanted to see Mom smile again. We wanted to go back to our lives, the way things used to be. That's what drove us day and night."**

"They go through all that hard work, holding onto that hope that must have seemed so real..." Trisha thought aloud, wiping some tears appearing in her eyes. "All they wanted was to see Grandma again..."

Aaron grasped at her hand, his heart feeling heavy as well.

 ** _"_ And we're ready."**

Elicia swallowed hard. _You're not..._

 ** _"_ Water, 35 liters. Carbon, 20 kilograms. Ammonia, 4 liters. Lime, 1.5 kilograms. Phosphorus, 800 grams. Salt, 250 grams. Saltpeter, 100 grams. Sulfur, 80 grams. Fluorine, 7.5 grams. Iron, 5 grams. Silicon, 3 grams...** **Now, the constructional formula.** **And finally...the soul data.** **Okay. This is it, Al."**

Throughout the whole preparation scene, the whole group simply watched in anguish, though it was quickly turning to horror upon realizing that they were probably going to see where it all went wrong. Those poor boys had only wanted to see their mother again, but they didn't even understand the full weight of the act they were about to commit...what it was going to cost them...

Trisha gripped her brother's hand tighter, trying to slow her heart rate down, but finding she couldn't. Staring at the screen with slightly wide eyes, both her and Aaron silently cried, _I don't want to see this. I don't want to see this!_

Nina, on a similar note, buried her head in her knees, tears beginning to stream down her face. "Please, don't make me watch this...Please!"

She let out a small sob, scrunching tighter into a ball. Elicia walked over to her chair, laying a hand on her shoulder. Looking at the younger Elric girl with painful eyes, she assured her, "It's okay. You don't have to watch this if you don't want to. None of us will blame you." She glanced over at Aaron and Trisha. "You guys don't have to watch either."

The siblings exchanged an unsure look. Obviously, neither one of them wanted to see their father or uncle in horrible pain, but...

"We were sent these DVDs so we could better understand our father's past..." Aaron explained, frowning deeply. "We certainly won't like it, but...I feel like we have to watch it. If not, then I don't think I'll ever be able to really understand our dad."

"Aaron..." Trisha gave her brother a sad look, though she was also a bit surprised at his answer. Her thoughts had actually been almost identical, but she thought the others would think she was crazy if she actually voiced them. His words gave her confidence, though, and, looking at Elicia and Joshua, who both looked concerned, she nodded. "I feel the same."

Joshua stared at the brother and sister for a moment, already saddened by the expressions on their faces. He'd seen his fair share of ugly scenes in his time as a soldier, but he had a sinking feeling that this was somehow going to be worse than all of them. Edward and Alphonse had always felt like uncles to him...no, more like older brothers, and he didn't want to see anything happen to him. He couldn't imagine what the men's children were going through. Still, they were willing to see their father's tortures to better understand them.

 _This family never ceases to amaze me,_ he thought reverently.

"Alright," he said aloud, "if you really want to." He gave a Nina a sympathetic glance. "Just plug your ears, Nina. Okay?"

The girl nodded and did as she was told, her face still buried. The other four hesitantly looked back to the screen, mentally preparing themselves for the worst. However, even after they stared at the TV for a considerable amount of time, the image still remained frozen.

Aaron narrowed his eyes. "Hey. We want to start now."

The image - his younger father and uncle smiling at each other over their transmutation circle - still didn't change. Nina raised her head, confused that she hadn't heard any muffled sound through her plugged ears. The other four exchanged confused, weary glances as well.

"Hey! Truth!" Trisha shouted at the screen, her voice shaky. Her heart was still racing with fear and anxiousness. "You can play the episode now! We're ready!"

Suddenly, the show began once more. Nina quickly hid her head again, covering her ears. The image stopped.

Elicia gasped. She looked at the screen with slight disgust, then back at Nina. "You've got to be kidding me..."

"Damn bastard's gonna force her to watch it..." Joshua grit his teeth, eyes wide.

Aaron and Trisha glared at the screen. Standing up and yelling at the screen as if it were Truth himself, Trisha pleaded, "Come on! Aaron and I are watching it! Isn't that enough!? Nina doesn't need to watch! She's too tenderhearted for this, so don't make her watch it, you son of a...!"

"It's okay, Trisha," Nina sat up, looking at her cousin with a mix of surprise and concern. She glanced at the TV with somewhat frightened eyes. "We were all called here to watch this, right? It makes sense that it wouldn't play unless I'm watching it too. Besides..." She took a shaky breath, "if you and Aaron can watch it, then so can I."

"You're sure?" Aaron stared worriedly at his little cousin, who was basically his second little sister.

She nodded. Reluctantly accepting this, Trisha sat down, and all five of them turned back to the screen. As the show started back up, Nina couldn't help but think, _Too tenderhearted...Do they really think that?_

 _ **The large transmutation circle begins to give off the signature bright blue glow. The ingredients in the metal tin begin to spark, and the boys both grin widely.**_

Trisha felt her chest tighten, and she once again grasped at Aaron's hand. "Hey, Nina. Come over here."

The girl, sensing the emotion in her cousin's voice, did as she asked, with Joshua scooting over for them to sit next to each other. Trisha grabbed Nina's hand as well, making all three weary Elric children connected.

Joshua, seeing this, suddenly felt compelled and, hesitantly, reached down and grasped Nina's other hand, squeezing it in reassurance. Nina glanced at the Mustang boy in surprise, but said nothing. He then held out his other hand to Elicia, who also looked surprised but gladly took it, giving him a half-hearted smile, which quickly disappeared.

Aaron took a deep breath, trying to reason with himself. _Maybe it will just be like those movies where they show what happens right before something goes wrong, and then they just cut to afterward. We might not even see anything._

 ** _"_ Ed, something doesn't feel right."**

 ** _A large grey eye appears in the center of the circle, and long, thin, black arms stretch up from all over. The metal tin in the center evaporates._**

The children winced and gasped at the suddenly terrifying image, their grips on each other's hands growing tighter by the second. Obviously, they didn't really know what any of this was, but they understood the tone of the image just fine.

 ** _Al's left hand disintegrates into dust. He screams in surprise and fear, reeling back as the black arms grab at him and begin to break down the rest of his arm._**

Nina let out a pained yell, sobbing. She squeezed her eyes shut, but quickly opened them, remembering, _I have to watch this. The others can't if I don't. For some reason...for some reason I have to watch Dad suffer so much._

 ** _"_ Al!"**

 ** _Edward's left ankle breaks apart. He screams in pain, eyes wide with terror. He falls onto the ground, looking back in terror to see the arms breaking apart what's left of his leg._**

Aaron and Trisha winced as if they were feeling their father's pain, tears filling Aaron's eyes but already falling down Trisha's cheeks. They both knew that their father would never have that leg again.

 **"It can't be...A rebound?"**

 **"Brother!** **ED! ED!"**

 ** _"_ AAALLL!"**

All three girls, especially Nina and Trisha, for obvious reasons, were sobbing uncontrollably at this point, gasping with tears flowing freely down their faces. The boys simply stared at the ground in horror, and, though Aaron felt like it desperately, he refused to cry in front of Trisha and Nina, not when they needed him. Trisha buried her face in her brother's chest, soaking his shirt in tears, but he didn't mind one bit. Joshua held Nina tightly as well, holding his arm around her as she cried. He still held tight to Elicia's hand, which she returned, both of their knuckles white.

So, Aaron thought bitterly, _that's what Dad sees in his nightmares._

A couple of minutes passed, and the girls managed to calm down, though they still vigorously wiped tears from their eyes.

"Did you see their faces?" Trisha asked, her voice hoarse from crying. "They looked so happy when it looked like it would actually work. They just wanted to see Grandma again, and...look what happened to them!

"Dad actually had his body taken away from him..." Nina stared at the ground, a traumatized look in her eyes. "He just disintegrated...just like that..."

Joshua nodded solemnly. "I don't think the horrors of Ishval could even top this."

"Please..." Elicia pleaded, looking at the screen. She'd known Edward and Alphonse her whole life, and never once had they implied they went through so much horror. "Please tell me that's all of it..."

Aaron furrowed his brow, extremely troubled. "I don't even think we're halfway through the episode yet. Are we?"

Reluctant and downtrodden, the five watches all turned back to the screen.

 ** _Edward appears in front of a large, gray door, which seems to be floating in a completely white landscape._**

The audience members were taken aback, all of them staring at the screen in fresh confusion, but also weariness. What on Earth was this?

 **"Al? Wait...what was I doing? I just..."**

 **"Hello."**

Joshua stared at the image of the strange white entity, eyes wide in complete surprise and utter confusion. "What...the hell...?"

The others stared in a similar fashion with the exact same thoughts. The Elric children sat, stupefied. Edward certainly hadn't mentioned this part. Then again, they were only two episodes in, and there was already plenty of stuff he hadn't told them about...

 **"Who are you?"**

 **"Oh, I'm so glad you asked!"**

Aaron gasped, eyes widening even further. A line from the first letter they received reverberated in the back of his mind. _There's no way..._

Trisha glanced at her brother, concerned. "Aaron?"

He didn't speak, only watching the screen somehow even more engrossed than before.

 ** _"_ I am called by many names. I'm the World, I'm the Universe, I am God, I am Truth, I am all, I am one, and I am also...you."**

The other four children gasped loudly, finally understanding what Aaron had realized a few seconds before.

" _That's_ Truth?" Trisha asked, even though the answer had just blatantly been given to them and her friends were just as stupped as she was.

"What the hell?" Joshua repeated. He held his face in his hand. "He just said he was _God,_ and the universe...Just...what the hell!?"

" _I am also you..."_ Elicia shivered. Looking helpless, she muttered, "I am so confused right now."

"That's at least something we can all agree on," Aaron commented, glaring at the TV. Something wasn't sitting well with him. _What do you have to do with my father and uncle committing human transmutation, Truth?_

 ** _"_ You have dared to knock the door. Now, the door is open. (Ed screams) ****Quiet, child. This is what you wanted, isn't it?"**

"Whatever 'this' is - no! They didn't!" Elicia spat, wide-eyed.

"What the _hell_ is going on!?" Trisha shouted, reverberating Joshua's previous question.

 ** _"_ I will show you...the Truth."**

 ** _"_ (Narrating) It was like all the information in the world was being poured into my brain all at once."**

 ** _"_ It's too much! It's too much! Make it stop! ****What's happening to me!? Make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!"**

 ** _"_ (Narrating) My head felt like it was about to burst, but, for an instant, it all became clear. The truth...of everything."**

"The truth..." Trisha murmured. She frowned. It certainly didn't seem like her father possessed all the knowledge of the world. Hell, he didn't even know about some of the simplest things. Needless to say, she was glad she'd gotten the "birds and the bees" talk from her mother.

"Why would Truth show him that?" Aaron wondered aloud. No one answered him, all of them too engrossed and somewhat worried about the story to really hear him.

 ** _"_ Mom! Please!"**

 ** _"_ How as it?"**

 ** _"_ I see...My theory of transmutation wasn't wrong. It ****_can_** **be done. It's possible."**

All the children, especially the Elrics, gasped. "What?"

* * *

 _"Has...has anyone ever actually done human transmutation and it worked?" Aaron asked hesitantly. He had turned thirteen only a few days ago, and Edward had finally told him about that dreaded day._

 _His father didn't get angry at the question. Instead, he just looked at his son sadly. "No. No matter how much power you may have, it's completely impossible to bring someone else back to life..."_

* * *

 _Then how...?_ Aaron was becoming really frustrated with all these questions he was having.

 ** _"_ It's still just missing something! All the answers I need are right here! The truth about human transmutation...Please! You have to show it to me again!"**

 ** _"_ I can't do that. I have already shown you all I can with the toll you've paid."**

 ** _"_ Toll? What toll?"**

 **"This! Surely you knew...** **It's the law of equivalent exchange! Right, young alchemist?"**

"It...It was him..." Trisha stared at the screen, eyes wide with fury and her face contorted in anger. "No, it was that _thing_! It took away Dad's leg from him, and Uncle Al...it took all of him! And for what!?" Tears began to stream down her face once more. "They were just kids, dammit! They didn't know what they were doing! They just wanted to see their mom's face! What's so wrong about that, huh!? They were just...!"

"Trisha." Aaron grabbed his sister's wrist, bringing her back to reality. The other three were looking at her with pain and shock in their eyes as well, not knowing what to do about the situation. Nina had begun to cry again as well, being reminded of what had just happened to her father. Her older brother's eyes were hardened in anger as well, but he spoke in a calm voice, albeit shaky. "If Truth...If this thing is really God, then, when you think about it, it's really just doing it's job to keep balance in the world. In that way..."

Trisha whipped her head towards him, furious and disgusted. "Do you even hear yourself right now!? This is Dad, Aaron! He was just a kid who wanted to see his mom again, and, yeah, he did something stupid, but do you think _this_ is the answer!? Putting him through so much torture and suffering and turning his whole world upside down when he didn't understand what he was actually doing!? You think that's fair!?"

"Of course not!" Aaron spat back, his eyes full of pain. "Still, we all know that that's not how the world works, and apparently this guy _is_ the world, so that settles that! It doesn't discriminate suffering because of age, no matter what!"

Trisha glared hard at her brother. Deep down, she knew he was right, and she could see that this whole thing was just as painful for him as it was for her, but...

"I know I have no place to speak," Joshua cut in, looking at the ground, "but just let it be. He tries to sort out his feelings by thinking out things logically, Trisha. You know this. Just...let it go."

The oldest Elric girl glanced back at the Mustang boy for a second, then slouched into the couch, folding her arms tightly. Nina, who had been watching the whole argument in silent concern, wanted to comfort the two of them in some way, but she knew that it was no use. In terms of how she felt about the whole situation, she found she felt more sad and anguish for her father and uncle more than anything. She tired not be a person who was constantly angry.

 ** _Edward now lays on the floor of the basement, clutching the bleeding stump of his left leg and screaming in pure agony._**

The whole group winced once again, unhappy that they'd returned to this scene. Nearly unbearable shivers went down their spines as Edward's loud shrieks pierced their ears. Trisha only gripped her arms tighter. Aaron looked at the ground.

 ** _"_ Dammit! This can't be happening! It can't be! This wasn't...this wasn't supposed to...** **No! It's gone! What have I done!?** **Somebody help me! Somebody...Please, Mom! Mom, please!"**

 ** _Ed's eyes quickly widen in freezing terror when he sees what lays in front of him. Where the perfectly resurrected body of his mother should be, there lays a truly horrid abomination, with dark, shriveled skin, glowing red eyes, and strings of hair hanging off its body._**

Nina covered her mouth, stifling a shriek. With wide eyes, she could only manage to whisper, "Please...please tell me that's not..."

None of them provided any answers, all of them being much too horrified by the image to even comprehend speech. Trisha lurched forward, suddenly feeling like she was going to vomit. She quickly covered her mouth, though, trying to keep it down. That thing...was that her _grandmother?_

"Trisha!" Aaron put his hand on her shoulder, filled with concern.

Unfortunately, she didn't share the same sentiment. Squatting his hand away and sitting up, she said, "I'm fine." She didn't look at him, but he could tell that she'd still be glaring if she did. "You still think _this_ is justifiable?"

"Trisha, _stop,"_ Elicia sharply warned.

 **"No...This...This is wrong! This isn't...This isn't what we wanted!** **Al...Alphonse! Alphonse! ALPHONSE! (clenches his fists) This is all my fault!** **Alphonse, no!"**

Every single one of their hearts clenched at the boy's screaming. By far, they'd never heard anything so heartbreaking in their lives.

 ** _"_ No, dammit! You won't take him to! ****Give him back! He's my brother!** **Take my leg...take my arm...(throws his head back, screaming to the heavens) TAKE MY HEART! ANYTHING! YOU CAN HAVE IT! Just give him back! HE'S MY LITTLE BROTHER! HE'S ALL I HAVE LEFT!"**

Silent tears traveled down Nina's cheeks. Once again, she couldn't help but think about what might have happened if Edward hadn't acted so quickly.

Joshua, though he felt pained by having had to watch the Elric brothers' suffering, felt even more respect for the two men than he'd had before. _Anyone lesser would most certainly have died..._ He glanced at the Elric children sitting next to him and, despite himself, fondly thought, _They are these guys' fathers, after all._

* * *

 **Did I depress you enough? Yeah? Awesome.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you haven't already, please follow and/or favorite this story and/or me, and please leave a review to tell me what you think! Also, be sure to check out my other FMA fanfic, "Journey Anew!"**

 **I DO NOT OWN FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST, NOR DO I WISH TO INFRINGE ANY COPYRIGHT.**

 **Thanks for reading and have a great day!**


	7. E2: The First Day (Part 2)

**PART DOOOOSSS.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 ** _"_ Roy! Hey! You still in Central?"**

The children finally allowed themselves to breathe somewhat, relieved that they could finally take a break from the horrific thing they'd just seen. Still, they couldn't seem to shake those traumatizing images from their heads. Even Elicia, who was still overjoyed at every chance she got to see her father, couldn't find the will to smile.

 ** _"_ For now, anyway. I should be heading back to Eastern Command this afternoon."**

 ** _"_ Well, aren't you the lucky one. Next time you're here, I expect you to have made Brigadier General. You got that?"**

 **"Easy for you to say."**

 **"Oh, by the way, if you're leaving, I'll go ahead and give this to you."**

 **"What is it?"**

 **"Something you might find interesting - the final report on Issac McDougal."**

The group of watchers managed to sit up a bit, turning their attention for a moment. McDougal had certainly been a strange encounter - even by the past's expectations, apparently - so they were very curious about what exactly the file had to reveal.

 ** _"I_ 'm guessing it hasn't reached your office yet."**

 **"No...(Examines it)** **Xingese alkahestry? What's that?"**

The Elric children, most especially Nina, perked up a this, surprised. Both of Nina's parents were extremely skilled in alkahestry, her father having learned it from her mother. Since alkahestry and alchemy were more-or-less sister sciences, she shouldn't have been surprised that it was being mentioned here, but something ate at her brain telling her there was something more to it. Alphonse had traveled to the East to learn more about different types of alchemy, especially alkahestry. When he'd arrived in Xing, he met Nina's mother, Mei, and she agreed to teach him the art, and, as her mom would say, the rest was history. Still, after hearing that one line, the youngest Elric couldn't help but wonder: Why did her dad want to specifically study alkahestry of all things? Could it be possible that it had played a big role in the search to get his and Edward's bodies back?

 **"Apparently, that's something they have. To be honest, I have no idea. You don't know it?"**

 **"No. It's the first I've heard of it."**

 ** _"_ So, how are the Elric brothers doing? You keeping those boys out of trouble?"**

 **"I'm their commanding officer, not their father."**

The group was saddened by the mention of Edward and Alphonse, being reminded of what they'd gone through, but the Elrics and Joshua still managed some sad smiles.

Joshua chuckled somewhat. "Mom would tell the story differently, Dad."

The Elrics nodded. While Edward would never admit to such a thing, Alphonse had stated multiple times how he viewed Mustang as sort of a father figure in those times and how he'd greatly respected him. The younger Elric had always been the more open of the two, anyway.

Trisha and Aaron exchanged small, knowing smirks at their father's stubbornness. However, remembering their argument, Trisha's smile quickly disappeared, and she looked down. For some reason, she didn't feel angry anymore, but she was still trying to comprehend the whole situation and what kind of mindset her brother had. Aaron's smile disappeared as well, but he looked at his sister somewhat worriedly, concerned about how all this was really affecting her.

 ** _"_ Hey. Tell me something, Roy. Why did you decide to make Ed a State Alchemist anyway? He's just a kid."**

"A kid who's seen quite a bit..." Elicia informed her father, sadness in her eyes.

 ** _"_ I mean, military life isn't easy, you know. That boy's gonna have to go through hell someday. You and I have certainly seen our share."**

Joshua and Elicia's shoulders dropped a bit, remembering about their fathers' involvement in Ishval, about how traumatizing it had been for them.

Trisha frowned. "Oh, he's seen hell...Him _and_ Uncle Al..."

Aaron went to put his hand on her shoulder, but thought better of it and withdrew.

 _ **"Hell, huh? Oh, they've seen hell - both of them - and plenty of it."**_

Trisha was a bit surprised by her thoughts being so well expressed by the man, but she chuckled humorlessly. "Exactly."

 ** _We see Mustang standing in a doorway, looking horrified at what he sees in front of him, which is revealed to be a large puddle of dried blood left on top of the brothers' large transmutation circle._**

All the children winced a bit, the memories of what they'd seen coming back. So, they were back to this time...

 ** _"_ Lieutenant Colonel? They're not in back either...** **What is this?"**

 **"Where are they? Where are the Elric brothers!? I want them found!"**

Aaron stiffened, coming to a somewhat horrible realization. "That's right...human transmutation isn't just an alchemical taboo, it's illegal..."

The others looked at him in surprise, not having come to this conclusion themselves. Needless to say, it troubled them. They turned to the screen worriedly, wondering what Mustang would do to the brothers, especially seeing as they were children. Joshua doubted that his parents could ever be so harsh, but he was still curious about what was to ensue.

 **"Oh, hush, Den. Don't bark at our guests. (Opening the door) Yes? (Roy pushes past)** **Hey! What is this!? You have no reason to come barging in here!"**

 ** _Edward sits slouched over in a wheelchair, looking up at Mustang with empty eyes, while Al stands behind him, seeming almost small despite his immense size._**

The Elric girls choked back small sobs of the sight of their young fathers looking so depressed and defeated. Aaron felt some tears well up in his eyes as well, and he wanted to comfort his sister next to him, but he felt that she still needed a little time. He ran their argument over in his head and tried to reason with himself.

 _Dad and Uncle Al were punished for a completely good reason,_ he argued. _Still...they weren't entirely sure what they were doing, and their intentions were more than just...obviously, they didn't have to be punished so harshly. A punishment needs to be equally as harsh as the act that the person is being punished for. A child who draws on the wall is chastised, maybe spanked, and put in time out. A thief who shoots a bystander is given a long jail sentence for murder. I guess, though, to think you can bring someone back to life and play God...maybe they got what they..._

He mentally slapped himself, horrified at his own thoughts. _What am I even thinking!? They were just stupid kids who wanted to see their mom again! Yes, they were prideful, but most kids are! They didn't have to go through all that!_

He clenched his fists, his tears welling up even more. _Dammit...why am I even thinking about this so much? This is Dad and Uncle...Why can't I just...?_

Old memories flashed in front of his eyes: him waking up early in the morning to secretly watch the two brothers spar in the backyard, Alphonse always smiling and never turning down a request from the kids to do a cool trick with his alchemy, Edward always giving him straight man-to-man talks, regardless of his age, the two brothers telling him about their whole ordeal...the sadness and regret in their eyes staring right through him...

"Damn it all..." Aaron muttered, making sure to blink away the tears before the others saw. "Why?"

 ** _"_ We went to your house! We saw the floor! What was that!? What did you do!?"**

The audience members gasped somewhat at Mustang's violent actions and words to such a young kid who obviously looked extremely broken. Glaring, Trisha wanted to say something, but decided against it against it, not wanting to get on Joshua's bad side as well as her brother's.

Joshua, remembering that this was the first time his parents were ever meeting the Elric brothers, couldn't help but comment, despite the significance of the scene in not only his, but the brothers' children's lives, "That's one hell of an introduction, Dad."

 ** _"_ We're sorry. We didn't mean it...We're sorry...We're sorry...We're sorry..."**

 ** _"_ Wait, are you...?"**

"Oh, Dad..." Silent tears flowed down Nina's cheeks as she cried with her father. As if her heart couldn't become more broken than it already was...

 ** _"_ This is a surprise, to say the least. I'd heard reports that there was a brilliant alchemist living in this town, so I came to check them out. The last thing I expected to find was a boy skilled enough to attempt human transmutation or advanced enough to bond a soul to a suit of armor. (He glances at Al for a second, then turns back to Granny) I'd say he's more than qualified to become a State Alchemist."**

Trisha and Aaron's hearts, as well as those of the others, clenched at the sight of Edward, who was always so smiley and full of life around his children, so shattered. They were still surprised, however, at Roy's words. With what their parents had told them, they'd just assumed that Ed had come up with the idea of joining the military himself. There had never been any mention of Mustang being the one to offer it to him. Then again, it had never been revealed how the two men had met either, until now, at least...

 _Why did they never tell us any of this stuff?_ Joshua wondered. _Did it just never occur to them? I don't recall ever asking Dad about. Maybe it has something to do Ed's pride or something._

 **"Should he choose to accept the position, he'll be required to serve the military in time of national emergency."**

The incident with McDougal popped up in the kids' minds. Yeah, that was _definitely_ a national emergency...

 **"In return, he'll receive privileges and access to otherwise restricted materials. Given time, they may be able to find a way to get their bodies back, or even more."**

"And they did..." Trisha said, managing a small smile as she reminded herself of that fact. Her uncle was no longer a hallow suit of armor, and her father had at least gained back his right arm. Yes, what had happened to them was absolutely horrible, and both men were apparently still haunted by it to this day, at least a little bit. Still, somehow, they'd managed to stay strong and persevere through the hardships and achieve their goal. They'd started new lives for themselves, marrying the women they loved, having children...

The older Elric girl glanced over at her brother, the guilt of their fight finally beginning to set in. Aaron glanced at her for a second too, looking a bit worried, but he managed a small smile at her, knowing they were thinking the same thing. "Thank you, Roy."

 ** _"_ Right after he came stumbling to my door half dead and covered in blood, I went over to their house to see what had happened. (She tilts her head, casting away the glare and revealing her pained eyes) What was there..."**

 ** _There's a quick flashback to the night of the human transmutation. Pinako stands in the doorway of the basement, staring horrified at the dead body of what was supposed to be Trisha Elric._**

The children averted their eyes once more, not wishing to see the sight again.

 ** _"_ Whatever that thing was, it wasn't human! Alchemy created that abomination! It nearly killed them!"**

"Don't remind us..." Nina muttered, pulling her knees to her chest and burying her chin in between them.

 **"You want to throw those boys headlong into it?! Would you really have them go through that kind of hell again?!"**

Joshua and the Elric children all lowered their gazes. When they'd been told about the horrors of Ishval and human transmutation, they had all asked their fathers the same question...

* * *

 _"Didn't you hate alchemy for what it did to you?" Nina sat with her father on the back porch, watching the sun go down. A few days before, it had been her turn to finally hear about her father and uncle's past. While she certainly wasn't as pushy or persistent as Aaron or Trisha, she still asked Alphonse a number of questions._

 _The thirteen-year-old looked down at the wooden floor. "I mean, when you really think about it, so many things have happened because of it: the civil war in Ishval, what happened to you and Uncle Ed..."_

 _She looked back up at her father to see him looking out at the glowing horizon, the light spring breeze blowing his golden hair a bit. With a distant look in his eyes, he said, "I've been asked that question so many times, I've lost count. There's was one time I remember, though. Back when your uncle was still in the military, we were trying to catch an Ishvalan who'd been..." He caught himself, remembering he was talking to his daughter, "well...he was on the military's Most Wanted list. He'd been a well-respected monk, but then, after his whole family was killed in the civil war, he grew to despise the military, especially State Alchemists..."_

 _Nina remembered some of her history lessons from school about the war and, grimly, asked, "Was it a State Alchemist who killed his family?"_

 _Al finally looked at her, a twinge of sadness in his eyes, and nodded. After letting that information sink in for a second, he continued, "He obviously didn't want to be caught, so I had no choice but to fight him. He already knew that I was just a suit of armor from another time we'd encountered him, and he couldn't help but ask me that question: How could I support a science that had left me in such a state and that had wiped out nearly all of his people?"_

 _"So...what did you say?"_

 _At this question, the younger Elric brother managed a small smile. "Alchemy may have put me in that body, but it was also alchemy that saved my life. The night we tried to bring Mom back, I would have disappeared forever if my brother hadn't used alchemy to bond my soul to that armor. So, denying and hating alchemy would be like denying and hating him, and you know I could never do something like that."_

 _This made his daughter smile. She'd always loved the close relationship her father and uncle had._

 _"It's not just alchemy, though. Pretty much all sciences are used to destroy and create things." Al got a sparkle in his eyes, the kind he always got when he talked about the craft he loved. Grinning at his daughter and pointing at the sky, he said, "Take nature, for example. On one hand, you have swirling hot and cold air currents that cause thunderstorms and tornadoes and shifting tectonic plates that cause earthquakes. On the other hand, though, there's cellular respiration and photosynthesis, which give us bright green grass and flowers of every color, and light scattering from the sun's rays makes the sky that beautiful blue."_

 _He pointed at the ever setting sun dropping below the trees, then dragged his finger across the multicolored sky, which was filled with all shades of blue, purple, pink, and orange. "See that? Light scattering."_

 _Nina chuckled, smiling brightly. It amazed her how her father could put so much wonder into his speaking. She definitely enjoyed his science lessons much more than her school teacher's. "So, science is basically a two-sided coin - one good and one bad."_

 _Alphonse nodded, smiling sweetly at his only child. "Exactly. Unfortunately, one can't exist without the other. People will always try to use science to make life better for others, but they will also use it to make life miserable. We just have to make sure we're the ones doing the right thing is all."_

 _His daughter turned to the sunset for a moment, taking in its majesty, before turning back to the alchemist. "I'm glad Uncle Ed put you in that armor."_

 _He gave her a small smile, getting up and walking over to her. As he kissed her forehead, he said, "Yeah. Me too."_

* * *

 ** _"_ Some tea?"**

 ** _"_ Yes. Thanks."**

Joshua, Aaron, and Trisha all perked up at the sight of their mothers. In their time, the two women were certainly more open about their friendship than their husbands, so the children were pretty interested to see how their first meeting went. Hopefully better than Ed and Roy's...

 **"Say, uh, Lieutenant?"**

 **"Just Riza, please. It's Riza Hawkeye. (Extending her hand) Nice to meet you."**

 ** _Winry stares at her extended hand for a second, then turns forward, looking at the ground nervously and not bothering to return the greeting._**

"That's a bit rude, Mom," Trisha chastised, making a face.

"Can't say I blame her, though," Aaron added. "After all, she's just a little kid at this point, so it makes sense that she'd be weary of soldiers. Not to mention that her and Roy literally burst through the door and threatened Dad. Like Josh said, it wasn't exactly a good first impression."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Still, Riza's being as friendly as she can..."

 **"Lieutenant Riza...have you ever had to shoot anyone?"**

As did the children. Joshua's heart grew a bit heavy. He'd heard enough stories to know what his mother's answer would be...

 ** _"_ Yes, I have."**

 ** _"_ I hate what you soldiers do. Soldiers like you are the reason my mom and dad left during the war, and soldiers are the reason they're dead."**

Aaron pursed his lips. "I guess there's another reason."

Trisha and Nina looked down sadly. Much like their Grandma Trisha, they had heard many stories about Grandpa Yuri and Grandma Sarah. They had apparently been surgeons in the Ishvalan Civil War, treating patients on both sides of the conflict, and had sadly perished committing their great service. Edward and Winry never really liked talking about that all too often, as it almost always made Winry upset, but that didn't stop the Rockbell girl from speaking highly of her parents deeds or from sharing some of the happy memories of them from her childhood. It was something that her kids could never get enough of.

 ** _"_ And now...now, you're here to take Ed and Al away too."**

"Her best friends..." Trisha muttered. Her parents and Uncle Al had always said that they were the closest friends growing up, but it was so hard to really picture it until now. "God, she must be so scared..."

 ** _"_ If they go, that decision will be theirs and theirs alone. ****Yes...it's entirely up to them now."**

 ** _"_ I'm not trying to force you. I'm merely offering the possibility."**

 ** _"_ Whether to move forward or stay still..."**

 **"Will you sit in that chair wallowing in self-pity, or will you stand up and seize the chance the military can give you?"**

 **"It's their choice. They choose their own path."**

 **"If you believe the possibility exists for getting your bodies back, you should seek it out. Keep moving, whatever it takes, even if the way ahead lies in a river of mud."**

Joshua smiled proudly at his parents on screen. "It seems they really haven't changed in all these years..."

Elicia nodded in agreement, smiling a bit as well. "Even back then, they were filled with wisdom beyond their years. I'm just glad they didn't actually force Ed and Al into anything."

"Me too," Trisha added, looking at the man and woman on screen, two people she wasn't technically related to, but felt like family all the same. _Thanks, you two. Lord knows what would've happened to Dad and Uncle if it weren't for you._

 ** _"_ Ms. Riza...why did you become a soldier?"**

"She's asking some pretty deep questions for an eleven-year-old," Nina sadly observed.

"That's what happens when you've been through tough stuff like they have," Joshua told her, also having a sad look in his eyes.

 ** _"_ Because there's someone I need to protect."**

Josh smiled, having a sneaky feeling as to who that person was, though he wasn't entirely sure.

 ** _"_ We're leaving."**

 **"Yes, sir. (Cut to later, outside the house)** **Well, I guess this is goodbye, young lady."**

 ** _"_ It's Winry."**

 ** _"_ Right. Bye, Winry. I hope we meet again someday."**

The respective children of the two women exchanged smiles, knowing full well that at least that hope would be fulfilled.

"This is only the first of many meetings, Riza," Trisha mused, grinning.

 ** _"_ Will they be coming?"**

 **"They'll come."**

 ** _"_ That boy...I've never seen anyone look so defeated."**

"Me neither..." Aaron added sadly. For as long as he could remember, he always saw bright enthusiasm and life whenever he looked at his father. He was the stronghold of the family, as every father should've been. So, to see him like this...

 ** _"_ That's what you saw? No...there was fire in those eyes."**

The audience members smiled proudly at this. That was the Edward Elric they knew. The images of the transmutation and Truth still remained prominent in their minds, but, like the young alchemist on the screen, they were beginning to feel hope again. After all, they did know how everything would turn out in the end. That fire wasn't going to be put out so easily.

 ** _"_ You're sure you won't regret this?"**

 **"Mmm. My mind's made up.** **How long will the surgery and rehabilitation take?"**

 **"I'd say about three years, more or less."**

 ** _"_ I'll do it in one."**

 ** _"_ You'll have yourself spitting blood, you know that?"**

"Dad can't stay off his feet for that long," Aaron said smirking, his eyes glowing with pride.

"Even if getting Uncle's body back wasn't a part of the equation, he'd still want to rush through the healing process," Trisha added, chuckling, though also looking a bit exasperated at her father's readiness.

Elicia smiled, but it waned a bit in concern. "Still, that couldn't have been good for his health. There are some things you just can't push."

 **"Al, just hang in there a little longer, okay? Then, we're gonna get you your body back. I promise."**

 **"Right, and while we're at it, we'll get yours back too."**

Nina smiled lovingly. Her father's selflessness never ceased to amaze her - worrying about his brother's missing limbs when he had no human body left at all. She couldn't help but say, "And that's a promise they managed to keep."

The others smiled at her, glad that they knew that everything eventually turned out alright, and turned back to the screen.

 ** _Scene fades to about one year in the future. Ed and Al are sparring with each other in the backyard, Edward equipped with new metal limbs._**

The Elric children settled into a state of nostalgia and comfort. They'd seen their fathers spar on almost a daily basis their whole lives, and, somehow, it looked exactly the same as it did on screen - even further proof to them that these videos were certainly no joke. Trisha chuckled, one of oldest memories popping into her head.

* * *

 _The two-year-old woke_ _up to very little light shining into her and her brother's room, which was strange given that she was usually woken up by the sun shining in her eyes when it was already high in the sky. She didn't feel tired in the slightest, and, as what normally happens whenever one wakes up early, her stomach growled hungrily - she assumed for some cookies. That was okay though. She was a big girl now - surely she could get a few cookies without Mommy or Daddy's help._

 _Methodically, she made her way down the stairs that were almost too big for her little legs. Once she reached the bottom, she turned toward the kitchen, but the distant sound of voices coming from the backyard caught her attention. Being a rather adventurous toddler, her first instinct wasn't to go to her parents for help in the event that the voices were burglars or something, but rather to go investigate herself. Upon reaching the backdoor, she creaked in open and looked out stealthily, suddenly decided that she was playing detective. What she saw absolutely horrified her..._

 _Daddy and Uncle Al were fighting! Just as she was looking, her uncle threw a hard right punch at her dad's neck, one that Edward quickly dodged by jumping back. This continued for a few seconds, the two men throwing, parrying, and dodging all sorts of attacks. Finally, after snapping out of her pure shock, little Trisha bolted onto the deck and screamed at the top of her lungs, "Stop it!"_

 _Unfortunately for Edward, this was just as Al was swinging his leg to sweep him off his feet, and, being distracted by his daughter's shouts and turning towards her, he was completely knocked down. Of course, Alphonse became aware of his niece as well and, also being distracted, didn't complete the move correctly and lost his balance, falling to the ground as well with a loud thud._

 _"Trisha?" Ed groaned as he pulled himself up to a sitting position, rubbing the back of his head where he'd presumably bumped it on the hard dirt. "What are you...?"_

 _By this point, though, she'd already ran over to them and careened into her father, hugging him tightly and nearly knocking him over again. Burying her face in his shirt and tears streaming down her face, she cried, "Stop fighting! Daddy, stop fighting!"_

 _There was a shocked silence for a moment or two before she finally heard her dad chuckle. Gently pulling her away from the hug and smiling amusingly, he assured her, "It's okay, Sweetie. We weren't fighting."_

 _"Yeah, you was!" she retorted, still crying and her grammar not really on point. "Un-le Al was hitting you...and...and...you were hitting him back!"_

 _"It's okay, Trisha," Alphonse also reassured her, sitting cross-legged. He also had a rather amused smile on his face. "We were just pretend fighting, that's all."_

 _She sniffled, tilting her head at her uncle. "Pretend fighting?"_

 _"That's right."_

 _"Why?"_

 _This question actually seemed to stump him. He looked at his older brother for support, but Ed just seemed as much at a loss for words as him. How_ would _you explain the concept of sparring to a child? Not only that, but why were they still sparring with each other when they really had no reason to enrich their combat skills? There was quite the real possibility that the two men didn't know that answer themselves._

 _Eventually, Edward managed to answer, "We just think it's fun, but we don't really hurt each other. Just pretend."_

 _"Oooooh," was all Trisha's young mind could think of as a response. She supposed that made sense._

 _After that, the three of them went inside and made an early breakfast before the rest of the family was even up. Later that day, though, Trisha got in trouble for trying to "pretend fight" with Aaron._

 _"I didn't hurt him though!" she'd explained to her mother after being reprimanded for punching her brother in the shoulder and knocking him down. Of course, Aaron also got in trouble for pushing his sister back and making her cry. Needless to say, Winry not only had a few words for her children, but also for her husband and brother-in-law. In the end, it was made crystal clear to Aaron and Trisha that pretend fighting was for Uncle Al and Daddy only._

* * *

 ** _"_ Seems like you're in perfect shape!"**

 **"Yeah! Now, I just need to try some alchemy! I guess it's been a while since the last time I used it."**

 **"I know. Not since the night we tried to bring Mom back, right?"**

The slight regret in the boy's voice made the children deflate a bit, but they still sat in anticipation of Ed's first transmutation with his automail.

 ** _"_ Brother!"**

 ** _"(Looking at blade on his arm)_ Yeah! I'd say that's right on the money!"**

"Hey, that's actually pretty convenient. He can just transmute that out whenever he needs it," Elicia commented.

"Not to mention, it just looks cool," Josh added, smirking.

Trisha chuckled, though she looked at the arm in awe as well. "It _is_ Dad after all."

 **"No, that's amazing! You didn't even use a transmutation circle! You perform alchemy the same way that Teacher does!"**

 **"You can do it too, can't you?"**

 **"Me? No! No way!"**

"Hm?" This comment caused the five audience members, especially Nina, to raise their eyebrows in confusion, as they knew for a fact that Alphonse - at least, the one in their time - could definitely perform alchemy without a circle.

 ** _The images of the Eye of Human Transmutation, Truth, and Edward standing in front of his Portal flash by quickly._**

 **"So you didn't see it..."**

 **"See...what?"**

The images of the strange white void and Truth, along with the loud drum beats that accompanied them, caused all of the children to initially jump, leaving subtle chills up their spines. After spending a few seconds to regain their nerves, Nina suddenly sat straight up, eyes furrowed in revelation.

"He's gotta see it again," she guessed, though she didn't look comforted by the thought "If seeing Truth and that doorway is what allowed Uncle Ed to just transmute by clapping, then Dad must have seen it at some point later on in the story so he can do it."

"Most likely," Elicia agreed, also looking thoughtful. "Maybe...when they get their bodies back."

"That would be my guess," Aaron concluded. He held his chin in his hand like some kind of detective deep in thought. "Still, Uncle's toll was much bigger than Dad's, yet he didn't see Truth. I wonder why..."

"I'm not sure, but these DVDs better start giving us answers or I'm gonna get angry soon," Trisha stated, making a sour face.

Joshua felt like making the comment that the girl had already blown up like four times in the span of only two episodes, but he wisely decided against it.

 ** _"_ Uh...nevermind."**

 ** _"_ Hey, you! Don't mess with my automail! You know how hard I worked on that!?"**

 **"Well, if it's half as hard as you throw a wrench, I'd be surprised!"**

"I guess people really _don't_ ever change!" Nina commented as the whole group laughed at the older Elric's expense. She could recall many a time when her uncle would come home from a trip having neglected the maintenance on his automail leg, only to be severely reprimanded by his wife, which usually involved some kind of blunt metal tool.

 ** _"_ Geez, for real! You could try acting more like a girl and less like a gear-head."**

 **"If you think I'm a gear-head, that's fine, but you had better get used to it, because as long as you're wearing my automail, you're stuck with this gear-head whether you like it or not!"**

The group of watchers knowingly chuckled.

"And that remains true to this day! Dad kept his automail leg and they just decided to get married to save the hassle!" Trisha explained cheekily. Her grin faded into a soft smile as she chuckled. "Though, I don't think that's what Mom meant at the time..."

Aaron also chuckled, smiling at the thought of his happily married parents. "I don't think _that's_ the reason they decided to marry each other, but it's definitely a nice little taste of irony."

"We're gonna get to see them fall in love, Aaron."

Her big brother glanced at her, surprised at this sudden statement, and, seeing the excitement in her eyes, smiled. "Yeah...pretty cool, huh?"

 ** _"_ It's unusual for you to observe the examinations, sir."**

 _This guy, again,_ thought Joshua. For some reason, the former Fuhrer really struck the man's interest.

 **"That's true, but I hear we have a twelve-year-old boy taking the test. Thought I would come out and see what all the excitement was about."**

 **"(In exam room, addressing Ed)** **Ah, would that be a steel prosthetic?"**

 **"It happened in the Eastern conflict."**

"Right. He can't just say he lost it performing human transmutation. He'd be arrested on the spot," Aaron remembered.

 **"I see...So you had a rough time of it in Ishval, hmm?"**

 ** _"_ Who's he?"**

 **"You idiot! That's His Excellency, Fuhrer King Bradley!"**

Trisha pursed her lips at the soldier calling her father, one of the smartest people on the planet, an idiot, but she still couldn't help but sigh in exasperation. "Figures Dad doesn't know what the leader of the entire freaking country looks like."

 ** _"_ Thank you. You may proceed with the examination."**

 ** _There's a shot of the balcony, where we see Mustang watching with a couple other men._**

Joshua smiled somewhat. _Don't pretend you don't care about those two, Dad._

 **"Do you need something to draw transmutation circles with?"**

 **"No, that's okay. I got it."**

Elicia chuckled a bit and, when she received strange looks from the others, explained, "I love how he's so nonchalant about it all."

"Dad's always been the biggest show-off," Aaron dismissed, chuckling. "It's like he's saying, _What? You mean YOU can't transmute with your bare hands?"_

 **"He's not even using a transmutation circle!"**

"Thanks, Dad! We've noticed!"

Trisha let on one short laugh and slapped her leg.

 **"My, that's quite something, isn't it?"**

 ** _Edward stares at the Amestrian leader for a few seconds, before bolting toward him, spear tip at the ready._**

The five children gasped, eyes wide in shock and horror.

"What's he doing!?" Aaron shouted, pulling at his hair.

 ** _"_ You know, some people would see this as a good way to assassinate a VIP. In the future, you might wanna rethink how you conduct these examinations."**

 ** _"_ That's good. You clearly have nerves of steel, young man, (turns to leave) but I'd say you still have much to learn about the world."**

 ** _Suddenly, the end of the spear simply slides of its base, having been cleanly cut off. The alchemist stares at the broken weapon in complete shock._**

 **"You put on quite a show, my naive, young alchemist! Good luck with the rest of your exam!"**

 ** _"(Shocked)_ When did he draw his sword?"**

Aaron remembered in the previous episode where Bradley had taken down McDougal, even though it had seemed like hadn't moved at all. _If he'd wanted to, he could've easily done that to Dad..._

He shivered at the thought.

Josh was thinking the exact same thing, and, for whatever reason, the fact made him feel even more uneasy about the Fuhrer. Why did he feel so much mistrust?

Trisha, on the other hand, groaned loudly, clearly stressed from the scene. "That's why you don't show off, you idiot!"

 ** _Back in Risembool: Winry's blonde hair and pink dress flow in the wind as her mind races._**

Trisha smiled. "She was so pretty, even back then."

 **"I wonder if Ed's doing alright on his exam..."**

"Oh, he just almost got shot in the head for pretending to almost assassinate the Fuhrer, but yeah, I'd say he's doing alright," Nina joked to her father, still getting over her anxiousness from the previous scene.

 **"Say, Al..."**

 **"Yeah?"**

 **"If Ed does become a State Alchemist, does that mean you'll be going away?"**

 **"...Yeah..."**

The slight sadness in the two's voices made their children grow solemn once more. While the two brothers would be trying to get their bodies back, their makeshift family was going to be separated in the process.

 ** _"_ This silver pocket watch will serve as proof of your state certification. This envelope contains your certificate of appointment. (Looking at the certificate) Huh, and it would seem our Fuhrer is not without a certain sense of irony."**

 **"Why's that?"**

 **"Nevermind. Congratulations. (Tossing certificate on the desk) You are now officially a dog of the military."**

Once again, the Elrics frowned at that certain nickname.

 **"By order of Fuhrer King Bradley, this document certifies that Edward Elric had been appointed to the post of State Alchemist and that..."**

 **"...he is hereby granted the title of FULLMETAL."**

All five audience members seemed to get goosebumps, feeling like that were really witnessing a momentous occasion, not just for their families, but also for history in general.

It was then that Aaron smiled, suddenly remembering pridefully: _My dad was the youngest State Alchemist ever in the history of Amestris._

 ** _"_ Fullmetal?"**

 **"That's right. Along with their commission, State Alchemists also receive a codename. Officially, you will now be known as...the Fullmetal Alchemist."**

 ** _"_ I like that. It's nice and intimidating. I think that will suit me just fine!"**

Elicia couldn't help but chuckle. "Of course."

"Nice, intimidating, and badass - just like you," Trisha smiled proudly, clenching her fist.

 ** _"_ Hey, wake up. We're almost there."**

 _ **Ed looks out the window to see the nicely-sized desert town of Liore, it's large steeple standing tall above all the other buildings.**_

While there was some rather hopeful music playing in the background and the town looked beautiful, the children's stomachs lowered a bit, remembering the ending scene of the last episode with the woman in black and her fat friend.

 **"So that's Liore? (Inwardly)** _ **Could it really be there - the key to finally getting Al his body back?**_ **(Out Loud) The Philosopher's Stone."**

 ** _Cut to black._**

After waiting a few seconds to see if there was more, but seeing nothing, the audience members settled into their chairs.

"Do you think...they'll run into that woman there?" Nina asked worriedly.

"I'm almost sure of it," Aaron admitted, looking at the ground in thought. "That woman...her and her partner have some kind of plan for Liore, and I think Dad and Uncle Al are just gonna walk right in the middle of it."

"But...if this priest guy has a fake Stone like you said, maybe...I don't know...it'll be a good thing that they run into her," Elicia suggested, though she did it reluctantly. "She's the one who gave the Freezer his Stone after all. If they could get information out of her..."

"Maybe..." Joshua considered. "Still, something tells me that woman isn't a push over when it comes to fighting or getting information. Either that, or her buddy takes care of it for her."

"Who do you think they are?"

"I don't know. The mob, maybe? Or a terrorist group? They had quite a few of them back then, and Dad did say in the last episode that McDougal was a part of some anti-establishment group..."

The five of them sat in silence for a few minutes, thinking about the possibilities, until, finally, Trisha spoke out, though off topic.

"Aaron...I'm sorry for getting mad at you about...what happened to Dad.'

Her brother was surprised at the sudden apology, but quickly smiled in acceptance. "It's okay."

"I just..."

"I know. I wasn't making a whole lot of sense, and it definitely didn't seem like I was taking Dad's side."

"No, that's the thing," his younger sister hung her head, ashamed. "You were making total sense, and everything you said was true. Even Dad and Uncle say that their punishment was more than justified, no matter how unfair or unwarranted it seemed. It just...hurt...seeing everything that..."

Nina nodded in understanding. "It's alright, Trisha. No one's blaming you for getting upset."

"That's right," Aaron confirmed, putting a hand on his sister's shoulder and smiling gently at her. "Besides, like Nina said, we all know what happens to them in the end. It may be hard watching the in-between, but we know that our dads are okay. If it hadn't been for all this that happened, we might have not even been born, and they wouldn't be the lovable doofuses of dads that we have today."

This managed to get chuckles out of everyone else, which made the oldest Elric feel a little better himself. Looking at the others, he asked, "Well, shall we see what the next episode wants to dish out?"

* * *

 **There's Episode 2! I hope you liked it! Next up: "Episode 3: City of Heresy!"**

 **Also: While I'm having them react to the openings, I'm leaving the endings out. The only one I'll definitely put in is the second opening, both because it ties into the ends of some episodes and I just freaking love it. I might also do the fourth one. Really, it all just depends.**

 **If you haven't already, please follow and/or favorite this story and/or me, and be sure to leave a review to tell me what you think! Also, please check out my other FMA fanfic, "Journey Anew!"**

 **That's all for today! Hope you have a good one!**


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